


The Empress' Champion

by Midoriberry



Series: Empress Allura Reality [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cuckolding kink, F/M, Fingering, Lots of Cum, Masturbation, NTR kink, Oral Sex, Pregnancy Kink, Sex, Violence, empress allura reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-30 19:19:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12115476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midoriberry/pseuds/Midoriberry
Summary: Empress Allura wants the best, and the best includes the best sort of consort to father her future children. Starting a battle royale to prove their worth to their empress is a start, even if it is a long one. As the empress waits she a certain alien has piqued her interest, and he's not afraid to get the powerful empress' attention either.Obsessed with maintaing her facade as a perfect and ironed-willed ruler, Allura slowly begins to realize her feelings towards this strange man, tearing apart everything she thought she knew about herself.





	1. Lust

**Author's Note:**

> So this is going to be a series of Evil Empress Allura reality fics. Some will be related to others, and some will be stand alone. They're going to be explicit since it's a damn crime that there aren't many pornish Kallura fics. Also kinks. Because Empress Allura has her kinks.

After much deliberation with her closest council, the time had finally come to find a suitable consort that was to be more than just a pleasure partner for the empress. Though her word was absolute, the empress knew there was truth to her council’s heed for heirs. For years Empress Allura amassed a sizeable harem of males throughout the universe, each the of them tailored to Allura’s tastes. Despite enjoying her concubines, none of them, as the empress had stated several times, were good enough to create a worthy heir. Empress Allura understood the importance of continuing her line and more now than ever as she was approaching her twenty-third birthday. She would not want any weak children to inherit her throne and destroy her hard work due to their genetic inferiority. Her father did not die in vain just so his grandchildren could become leeches. The Altean Empire will last several millennia if Allura could help it.

The empress thought long and hard what she would like in a consort. “For one,” she said aloud while her concubine from the planet Hala sucked on her nipples, “I would like him to be visually appealing. No consort of mine shall be physically repulsive. Don’t you agree?”

The concubine looked up at his empress, nodded, and tweaked her other nipple while flicking his tongue over the other. 

“Secondly,” Empress Allura yawned and touched the device on the back of her concubine’s head, “I would like to have him be a cog. You non-cogs are laughably awful at sex, but at least you don’t cum inside by accident.”

Several times Empress Allura had personally killed her cognitive concubines for releasing inside of her. The sex was great, being that she also executed those that could not satisfy her sexually, however she would not stand for such lack of respect or discipline. Every time she had sex with a cog concubine, she would wear her diaphragm to prevent any unwanted pregnancies. She may have been considered a loose woman by other aliens, but she would never sink so low as to poison her uterus with something genetically inferior. As to why the concubine would not wear any protection, the Empress simply preferred her sex unprotected as she felt a better thrill over getting dicked raw than with a piece of rubber. It was far easier to control her cognitive concubines with fear in that matter than to give them a condom and let them lax. There would be absolutely no leeway to them. Give them an inch, and they may take the mile just like those filthy Galra had once done.

Of course there were non-cog concubines, but those had begun to dwindle more and more as she realized how utterly boring they were with sex. Yes they brought her to heaven yet it was also unsatisfying how short and trite those trysts were. 

Sipping on a glass of wine, the empress looked down unimpressed as her concubine began spread open her legs and licked her folds. “I suppose I must have you killed my dear Kree. Which reminds me...” She took another sip and sighed as her non-cog’s warm tongue continued his ministrations. “He needs to be strong. Bold. Perhaps even cunning. Yes,” another sip. “I would like my consort to prove his strength. An arena would be a perfect place to test that.” She grinned. “Yes! It has been decided!”

Not long thereafter, Allura decapitated her concubine after becoming bored at his oral sex. When her attendants came in to clean up the mess, Empress Allura downed the rest of her wine, giggling happily about the prospect of men fighting relentlessly for the opportunity to be completely hers. 

“I want a cog concubine right now,” Allura smiled mischievously and opened another wine bottle. “Bring me the Breen.”

Four months had passed since the announcement of Empress Allura’s gladiator battles. Thousands of men throughout the galaxy had come to participate to become the consort of the most powerful person in the known universe. Naturally the empress had each and every one of them screened for any past history of rebellion. Any with positive results was killed right from the start. Unsurprisingly there were many, though to the surprise of Allura there were but less than two hundred of those people. 

After the initial screening was done, the men were ready to join the battles. In those four months, countless men were slaughtered by the other contestants or by other traps or creatures that were unleashed in the arenas. The tests were not just about their physical prowess but also their intellect and ability to adapt to new obstacles. The empress was not interested in to breed with a meat-head. She that’s all she wanted she could go to the nearest Altean military base and get the most virile officer she could find, something of which she had done many times before in the past particularly during the height of the Galra Cleansing. There was nothing more satisfying than riding a stocky Altean captain while hearing the cries of vermin beg for mercy as her army set them aflame.

And it was more than just the sex: it was the future of her empire at stake. Her children would be the ones to take over and spread the true word of the Alteans and bring peace and prosperity across the universe, even if the other savages did not agree. 

One thing that bothered her council was the idea of Allura being willing to use other aliens to be the father of her children. Allura assured them while the consort would be sire her children, he would certainly not father them. Allura had many eligible Altean nobles at her disposable to become her prince consort. She would choose the one that obeyed her best and appeared best because she refused to be seen with a repugnant-looking male. To be seen with any sort of impediment, especially a physical one, would make other aliens believe she was weak. Only the absolute best for the empress and her empire. 

If the winner was an Altean, then of course her prince consort would father her children. In all honesty, it was what Allura had wished for, yet she there was something that made her open to the possibility of a non-Altean if they proved to be superior. Despite her apparent openness, the empress was very confident that an Altean would be able to surpass the others with ease. Over 65% of the contestants were Altean men, and as of the recent reports over 80% of the 500 current survivors were Alteans. 

As the time passed, Allura was growing impatient with her waiting. She had already killed all her non-cogs in boredom and nearly all her regular concubines in the anticipation of her future consort. The more she waited, the more her bloodlust grew, and though that was being satisfied by decimating her harem, her sexual frustration continued to increase.

To speed up the process, Allura had a second screening for the fighters. Another search for their political affiliations were done again, however what was new was their overall physical appearance. Once that information was finished, it was sent to the empress’ personal device where she would decide based on their looks if they were to be worthy of her womb. Allura got rid of every non-humanoid and had them killed. The others were killed if she deemed them too ugly for her taste. 

Coran was becoming uneasy at Allura’s recent behavior. Initially he was a wee bit unsure about having a gladiator battle to determine the worthiness of becoming her consort, but ultimately agreed with the empress’ logic. However, he never anticipated it would take as long as it had, and saw just how desperate Allura was becoming with all the killing and cruelty she was personally doing. The previous day the empress whipped a maid for spilling a drink on the floor and had her sent to the dungeons to be the “mother” of monsters.

With some reservations for his safety, Coran expressed his concerned over his empress’ decision to have the “ugly” ones executed despite their higher rankings. Before her anxiety, Allura was adamant about having only the best and told Coran that her decision was final on the matter. Now it seemed she has forgone that statement and began searching only for the most handsome of the best warriors.

The empress glared at her former caretaker. “Do you wish for my children to be revolting? What sort of example am I setting to my subjects if I allow my myself to birth ugly children? My progeny will be the laughing stock of the Altean Empire!”

“Well,” Coran hesitated. He had noticed that many of the ones she deemed ugly were Altean men. “I was merely wondering, er, perhaps of the remaining fifty you’ve spared, how about you, uh, get to know them more by attending the battles?”

“Hmm…” The empress gave it some thought. “How about we end it now?”

“What do you mean?” Coran asked, sweat dripping down his forehead nervously.

“We’ve already tested at least ten thousand men with many types of arenas that assesses their physical strength as well as their wit. I can confidently say these remaining men are well enough in the intellect side. That being said, I believe a final death match can give me rapid and satisfying results.”

Coran nodded. “Very well, your highness. I will see to it that it will be done.”

“Oh and Coran?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what species this one is?” Allura turned her screen towards Coran and swiped so it could be projected in the room. The alien in question was a slim humanoid male with black hair, light skin, and purple eyes. “He’s too pale to be Altean, and his ears are hideous so I don’t believe he is from Graxos IV.”

“If sources are to be believed, I recall he is from a place called Earth.”

“Earth? Is that not an uncivilized planet wrought with a hairless species that live among the caves?”

“I suppose it is, your highness.” Coran stroked his moustache in thought. “Though we had conquered it several decaphoebes ago. Perhaps how they have learned more since we have brought our superior technology to theirs?”

“Whatever he may claim to be…” Allura leaned back into her throne and rubbed her chin with interest. Despite his undesirable ears, Allura found the rest of his appearance to be very visually appealing. He was almost exactly what she was looking for, minus the ears. What intrigued Allura the most was the fact that he made it so far in the battles despite not being of a species known for their physical superiority. All in all this human should have been killed in the beginning rounds either by an animal or an Altean, and yet there he was in the final 50. Of course it was thanks to the empress’ desperation that he was bumped up so high, but even then, the human was already in the top 100 before the purge. “…he is the only non-Altean among the surviving lot.” The empress’ eyes lit up then quickly turned her face so Coran would not see her expression of a growing bias for the alien. “Let’s not do a single death match. I want to see what this creature is capable of.”

“What do you propose?”

“Keep the all or nothing theme. No weapons. Just their brute strength and battle prowess will lead them to their victory. I’ll let it continue for a few more quintants- no wait, only one movement!” Allura clapped her hands excitedly. “I want this to be done in one movement’s time. Divide the fighters as you see fit so the winners of each quintant may fight on the last day of the movement. And I shall personally witness these fights and see my champion for myself.”

 

First quintant felt like the longest blur to the empress. The alien was not there and the fights dragged on until an Altean man won. It was not until the second quintant when Empress Allura finally saw the non-Altean man in the arena. The man was easy to spot from far due to black hair, which was a rare color in Altea. Such a disadvantage should have gotten him killed in the earlier rounds yet he was still standing ready to take on the next warrior. The empress was quite surprised he was as tall as most of the participating Alteans, though his body appeared svelte, meant more for speed rather than power. Though that observation was quickly thrown out the window as the foreign warrior punched one of the combatants halfway across the arena. He looked up at the dais where the empress was seated, body unwavering after the powerful blow, and pointed to Allura with a cocksure grin.

“You’re mine,” he mouthed before turning his attention to a stocky Altean, and landed an agile kick to his face. The warrior recovered just in time to block another kick only to miss the punch to his neck. 

The Empress’ face grew heated at the alien’s audacious claim. The sheer savagery he was displaying should have disgusted her, yet Allura felt her heart race and her loins tingle. “But he must pay for his impudent behavior…” she whispered to herself, eyes glued to that pale man’s wild movements. 

The audience screamed at the audible crack of the warrior’s trachea and the desperate gasps for breath before the alien walked away leaving the Altean to die as he approached another fighting pair. He was as graceful as he was feral, weaving about between the two Alteans like a dancer and viciously attacking without any regard for the warrior’s painful cries or remorse over the protruding shin bones and dislocated elbows. 

“Raible.”

A guard stepped forward. “Yes, your highness?”

“See to it that the foreigner participates in every arena battle from here on.” Allura noted the guard’s slight hesitation at the request. “If he wants to be salacious to his empress, then he shall face the consequences.”

Raible bowed. “It shall be done, my empress.”

The following day Allura sat in the same spot as usual with her entourage ready for her beck and call. Sipping her chilled wine, Allura was not surprised the alien had won the elimination battle. The contestants entered the arena one by one. The empress smirked when she noticed a slight limp in the foreigner’s step, swirling her wine in glass to taunt the warrior.

The warrior in question took immediate note of the empress’ gesture. With another confidant grin, he winked at Allura before getting ready to battle again. 

Despite his disadvantage, the alien still managed to be as swift as he was the previous quintant. His first kill was clean and efficient, using a choke hold to strangle the Altean warrior. Afterwards his movements became less about survival and more for show. He dodged the incoming blows with ease, twisting and twirling through his rivals all while making frequent eye contact with the empress to be sure her entire attention was on him. His playfulness cost him a few brutal kicks and punches here and there, but he gracefully recovered his footing before launching his next attack. Every time he went for the kill, he winked at Allura right before ending the warrior’s life.

Allura’s blank expression never changed as she watched the alien’s performance. Each time she felt her mouth twitch into a smile, she took a sip of her drink. She could tell the alien caught onto her feigned disinterest as he began to lick his lips every time she drank. In retaliation, Allura adjusted her bodice so that her cleavage would be more noticeable, which effectively distracted the alien enough to land a painful punch in the gut a few times.

The lip licking added some lower lip biting, to which the empress responded with more breast exposure. Allura almost choked on her drink when the alien began to include loud smacking. In retaliation, the empress wiped off the spilled droplets with her fingers and sucked and licked them provocatively, earning the alien another rough kick from one of the Altean warriors. The game continued until the empress carefully bared a part of her areola. Both the alien and the last warrior standing had noticed the exposed darkened skin, and for a split second the foreigner’s face expressed displeasure as he took advantage of his opponent’s gawking, angrily grabbing his head and twisted it until his neck snapped and growled as he kicked at the body as it fell.

Allura’s heart quickened at the alien’s reaction. She felt her face grow hot as he wiped the sweat off his forehead and glared right at her. 

He was furious, and something told Allura that it wasn’t just because the other warrior noticed her body.

As the guards approached the foreigner to bring him back, he took one last look and screamed “Don’t interfere!” Allura’s smirk only made him glare harder and fidget as he was taken away.

“So the beautiful stranger has honor now does he?” she mused as she adjusted her bodice to its previous modest level. With a terse frown, the empress huffed out of her hair and hurried back to her chambers. None of her subjects dared ask or say anything to their empress. Before she closed the doors, Allura ordered her handmaids to leave to give her some privacy. Once she was sure they were gone, the empress locked herself inside and slid down against the door with a sigh.

 _How dare he?_ Allura balled up her fists. _I’m the most powerful woman in the entire universe!_

The empress stood up and rushed to her walk-in closet, frantically searching for a dress, throwing the ones she didn’t want onto the floor. _He said I was his! The gall!_

Allura continued her search until she found the dress she was looking for. “Yes, this will do,” she chuckled, pressing the dress against her body and looked at herself smugly in the mirror. “No one commands the empress. Not even you, beautiful stranger.”

The empress laid her dress against a chair, and found herself skipping towards her bed and threw herself onto the mattress. She began to loosen her bodice. _That arrogant man! Ugh such audacity!_ Allura growled aloud and threw her bodice across the room. _I can’t believe he made me play that silly game of his, all because he thinks he’s special and wants to own me!_

 _And who’s fault is that?_ a small voice asked her. _Weren’t you the one who decided to make him fight consecutively?_

“Nonsense! It’s hardly my fault at all. Though… he doesn’t strike me as an idiot either.” Allura kicked off her shoes and removed the rest of her dress. She rolled around in her undergarments, continuously repeating it was the alien’s command that offended her the most until she noticed her bare nipples. 

It was the most overtly sexual thing the empress had ever done in public. All her sexual exploits were done in private, even the time she was celebrating the Galra Cleansing with that one brutish captain. That foreigner had almost made her forget there was an audience watching the match. Allura bit her lip and cursed silently, not noticing her hand reach between her legs. “He was so obvious,” she reasoned as her hand slipped under her panties, feeling a warm sensation as she rubbed around her clit. 

“Did he honestly think he was being attractive by winking at me like that? Licking his lips and smacking like a wanton animal? Does he think he’s going to fuck me?” Allura moaned softly, increasing the speed, wetness beginning spread. “Fuck me so good with that Earth dick. Making me cum as you fuck me into the bed and cum over and over inside me until I get pregnant.”

Another thought crossed her mind at the idea of the non-Altean siring her children while being married to a perfectly good Altean man. She imagined herself pregnant with the alien’s child. “No, his fourth child,” she moaned and used her other hand to cup her breast. She imagined herself visibly pregnant, getting desperately fucked by her consort while her husband opened the door to their bed chamber and watched as Allura encouraged him to go harder. Her husband would be saddened but also obviously aroused by the loud sounds of their skin slapping and moans. The alien would make Allura scream out in ecstasy as she comes for the third time, while he continues to rut until he releases inside, then rub his hands on her pregnant belly and kiss it with reverence, whispering “You’re mine.”

With a loud gasp, Allura’s body went taut as she came panting out “Beautiful stranger!” into her pillow. Allura held out her wet, sticky finger, tsk’d at herself and lazily wiped them against her abdomen. She grabbed her pad and began to read up more on the alien who had piqued her interest. “I need to get married by next phoeb.”

 

On the fourth quintant Empress Allura wore the dress she had chosen the day before. It was a dark purple sleeveless dress with a low hanging bodice, with the lower portion’s front reaching up to her mid-thigh, while the rest tapered into a longer skirt. It flowed beautifully as the empress walked to her dais and sat on her throne and accentuated her beautiful long legs. 

The empress relaxed as she took her goblet and watched the gladiators enter the ring. The alien limped more visibly and walked much slower than the previous quintant. Allura found it hard to swallow her drink, but ignored the feeling. That alien had it coming to him. 

This time the foreigner’s actions were less playful and more deliberate, trying his best to avoid getting hit. His attacks had more deadly precision, though the ones that didn’t aim to kill were considerably weaker. He was tired and it was obvious from his panting and diminished agility that it was beginning to catch up to the warrior. He had not even once looked at the empress. 

Allura frowned. “Rude.” 

She got up to leave when the audience gasped and cheered loudly. The three remaining men had decided to gang up on the alien and pinned him down. The alien struggled in their grasp, flailing his legs about to keep the third man away from him, yelling out in frustration as their lack of a handicap kept him down. Had the pale warrior had at least one whole quintant worth of rest, he would have been on his A game. But due to the empress’ command, he was forced to go every day with only a few vargas of sleep. 

Allura sat right back down and watched intently. 

The third warrior stomped on the alien’s leg causing him to struggle even harder despite the pain. The man holding him down to his left reached for his pocket and tossed a small switchblade at the standing warrior and punched his captive in the gut to keep him fidgeting. The other man nodded and brought out the knife against the alien’s neck.

“That’s illegal,” whispered Allura. 

Relinquishing to his fate, the alien ceased his fighting and searched the audience to find the empress. His eyes locked onto the beautiful queen’s serious face. With an abandoned smile he mouthed, “Sorry.” 

The empress responded by leaning back into her seat, uncrossed her leg, then gratuitously spread her legs wide before slowly bringing up her other leg a little too high before crossing it with her other leg. 

She was not wearing any undergarments.

Determination flashed through the warrior’s eyes and somehow summoned an unbridled strength to pull and haul the man holding his left arm onto the man with the knife. The shock of the sudden change loosened the other fighter’s grip, freeing the alien from their grasp and earned the Altean a lethal punch to the trachea. 

A quick glance at the empress, her legs had uncrossed yet again except this time she had kept her legs wide open as she leaned forward and rest her arms on her thighs in keen interest. 

The one that held him at knifepoint was headbutted then had his face repeatedly slammed onto the floor. Broken teeth and a pool of blood spilled into the ground as the alien continued to brutally smash his head with all his strength. When he felt the Altean no longer move, he stopped and grabbed the knife. The other Altean had fled in fear and was halfway across the arena. The pain from the stomping was intense and made it difficult to walk, yet it did not stop the alien from getting up and hobble towards the other. A sadistic grin was plastered on his face as he came closer to his target. 

“Enough!” A soldier had come between the fighters. “Her most gracious Empress Allura as ordered this fight to end. She has declared the non-Altean as the winner.”

The alien looked a bit disappointed, albeit not upset with the decree. He gazed up at the empress and scowled at her closed legs to which Allura responded with biting her lips. 

“Be sure that he gets the best care, Hys,” Allura gulped the rest of her drink and exhaled in satisfaction. “I want him to be in better condition tomorrow. Oh, and Hys?”

“Yes you highness?”

“Be sure to have the result of the samples expedited.”

“It shall be done, my empress.”

 

The fifth and final quintant had a larger audience than the previous ones. Everyone was excited to see who would be the empress’ champion. Apart from the council and the fighters themselves, no one else was aware of the true end goal of the gladiatorial battles. Empress Allura used this as an opportunity for entertainment to her people, as well as give them a hero to admire. The champion would become her lead knight to the public, and the father of her future children in private. 

As the fighters walked into the arena, Allura noted her beautiful stranger still had a slight limp in his step, yet it was not as severe as it had been yesterday. The alien had accepted whatever care she had offered. That was a good sign, Allura mused.

Today his speed was much like the second time he was in the arena, but unlike the first two fights, the alien kept his teasing to a minimum yet made sure to look at the empress every so often instead of completely ignoring her as he did yesterday. Not that Allura had taken note of that detail or anything. The transactions that would transpire were strictly business and of her future children’s best interest. She did not care how her beautiful stranger flipped ever so gracefully behind Altean fighter and broke his spine with a powerful knee-kick using his good leg and blew a kiss to her. She especially was not fazed by his suggestive gesture involving his tongue licking between his middle and index fingers in the shape of a V after dodging a blow from another warrior and letting it land on a different Altean who was coming right behind him.

Allura was not sure if time was passing by fast or the combatants were getting easily mauled by her beautiful stranger. When she asked her attendant, she was shocked to learn it was only half a varga since the fighting began and only two players remained. The previous battles lasted at least two vargas before there was a victor or perhaps…

Allura’s eyes widened with realization. Perhaps it was due to that man’s flirting that the fights were extended for as long as they were? When was the last time an arena brawl with less than ten fighters ever lasted two vargas? No weapons aside, it should have taken at most an entire varga if the opponents were exceptionally skilled. The empress’ attention was brought towards a flashy slide that went through the legs of the Altean warrior. The alien looked straight at her and held up his hands and mouthed, “Entertained?”

He had given her a show alright.

Allura smirked. “End it now,” she replied loudly as she ran her finger across her neck. A quick nod and a merciless chokehold later, Empress Allura’s beautiful stranger became the champion to the surprise of everyone except the empress herself. 

The empress left the arena without a word and entered her room. She took her time bathing in a floral bath, enjoying its fragrant warm waters before realizing it had almost been an entire varga. Allura spent the rest of the time sitting naked in front of her vanity while brushing her hair, deep in thought about what had transpired.

_Even though he’s not Altean…I wanted him to win, didn’t I? All those wild antics, and that silly show he was displaying for me… To think he was able to find strength after I opened my…_

Allura felt her face burn up. Looking at her reflection, there was a soft blush across her cheeks. “Such a lewd man.” She touched her lips before startling at the sound of a knock on her door. 

“The winner is here, your highness,” replied Hys’ voice behind the door.

“Let him in.”

The empress continued to idly move her trinkets and expensive bottles of lotion and perfume, carefully eying from the mirror’s reflection how her beautiful stranger closed door and approached her. She noted his clean appearance and the fresh set of comfortable clothes he wore. 

_They heeded my directions. Good! He looks well in those Altean garbs._

A warm, unconscious smile graced the empress’ face.

“You’re more beautiful when you smile like that,” her beautiful stranger replied.

Allura’s eyes widened and proceeded to frown at the man through the mirror. Though by his expression he seemed more amused by the quick change in attitude than afraid of the empress’ ire. She turned her chair to face her future consort and found herself grinning at his visible surprise over her state of undress. “Take off your clothes.”

Not having to be told twice, her beautiful stranger removed his clothes rather hurried yet not frantically enough to seem too desperate. 

“Do not touch,” she replied. 

Standing up, the empress casually walked towards her prize, encircling him a few times before lightly touching his half-hard cock, examining it with interest. It differed a bit from an Altean penis as it was slightly larger with a trail of bumpy ridges on both is upper and underside ending with, as Allura would describe it, a normal looking Altean glans. Despite her sexual endeavors, this was the first time the empress had ever seen such an oddly shaped phallus. Allura felt her mouth water as it became more erect.

The alien did not seem bothered by her curious looks and light petting. He especially liked it when she lightly thumbed the top bump near the head. A soft moan escaped his lips when she did that again, earning him a satisfied smile from the empress. He made another noise when the inquisitive touches became more confident, feeling her hand cup his balls and pump his dick.

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be,” she murmured, deciding to ignore the smug smile coming from him and thumb at the slit eliciting another moan from her beautiful stranger. Her groin began to ache at the sight of copious amounts of precum dribbling out, coating her thumb and fingers. She swallowed thickly. “What is your name?” 

“Keith,” he panted, almost writhing under her skilled touch.

“Keith…” she repeated, trying to make sense of the odd name, “Keith…” She continued to touch his cock. “Hmm, well now Keith you seem to be quite frustrated.” With a smug smile, she increased her speed. “Why are you so frustrated?”

“Because you smell amazing,” he said through gritted teeth. He grabbed at his hair in vexation. 

Allura chuckled at his response. “I took a bath.”

“Urgh! It’s not that!” the man growled in defeat.

Suddenly Allura found herself hunched over Keith’s body, moaning at the abrupt touch of Keith’s fingers exploring her vulva, finger fucking her for a few seconds before pulling out. With his other arm, he pulled Allura closer to his body and rolled his eyes in satisfaction as he smelled his fingers. He made sure the empress was witnessing his action. “This was the smell.”

At an instant Allura grabbed Keith’s face and kissed him hard. Keith was more than happy to return the kiss, letting go only to breathe before kissing his empress again. 

“To the bed,” Allura panted and sucked on his neck. She lowered her head towards his chest, pinching his nipple and sucking the other. Just as she was going to repeat herself, Allura found herself on the mattress with Keith fondling her breasts before going straight for her pussy, sniffing her sex while groaning out in pleasure, licking and sucking her folds while the empress pinned his head with her thighs and thrusted her hips for more contact. Though she couldn’t see his expression, she could feel the cocky grin against her thigh as Keith countered with kissing her right inner thigh before sucking on it. Gripping her ass, he pulled Allura’s lower half up from the bed and held her high as he dipped his tongue into her orifice.

In her current position Allura could now see her champion ravage her sex. The empress swore as she felt him his nose rub against her clit, sending a jolt down her body. She moaned as he swirled his tongue, thrusting in and out, occasionally sucking in her sensitive flesh before diving right back in. Allura’s breaths became shallower as she was getting close. Keith smirked as he felt her muscles twitch and continued to tongue-fuck his empress until she came with a gasp. He lapped at her juices before gently placing her lower half back onto the bed, face full pride at making the all-powerful empress cum in ecstasy.

“You,” Allura said breathlessly. She pulled Keith into a kiss, tasting herself mixed with her champion’s own. She brushed her hand against his achy and leaky cock. “You’re not done.”

Keith shivered at her delicate touch, positioning himself at her slick entrance. “Yes, my empress.”

Allura shuddered as Keith gently entered into her before gaining confidence and increased his speed. His member was hot and girthy with those ridges rubbing against her in a way no other cock had ever done before. She bucked her hips to meet with his thrusts as he encouraged her with filthy words. “You like it like that? You like to get fucked by a complete stranger?”

He crushed his lips into Allura’s, giving her a searing kiss before lowering to her breasts and suckled on her nipple. His other hand kneaded her ignored breast, flicking and softly pulling at her nipple before going to her right ear and nibbled the tip of her ear. “Your ears are incredible.”

Licking her lips, she moaned, “And yours are bizarre.”

“You want me to stop?” he teased. He slowed his thrusts into tantalizing yet excruciating pace. Each bump hitting a sensitive spot sending a surge of pleasure with every brush.

Allura wrapped her arms around his neck. “It was a compliment, you -Ah! beautiful brute.”

“If I’m beautiful,” he answered, picking up momentum and pecked her lips, “then you’re absolutely gorgeous.” He gazed into Allura’s eyes, caressing her face with his hand, thumbing her cheek with an appreciative warmth. “You’re mine.”

Without a warning, Allura cried out with a shudder as she came, clenching tightly around Keith. It wasn’t long before Keith’s movements began to speed up, desperately grabbing Allura’s hips and climaxed inside her. Allura could feel a hot sensation filling up inside her. It was different from her previous experiences, and it surprisingly felt good feeling all that cum into her womb. Noticed Keith had not finished, she gently reached up and touched his sweaty clenched face as he continued to release copious ropes of semen into her, jerking his hips with a gasp until he finally stopped, relaxing his face against her soft hands.

 _That was certainly… different_ , Allura mused, sensing some semen leaking from her cunt as Keith pulled out. _He cums quite a lot._

Their trysts continued throughout the evening and into the night. Keith fucked Allura in every part of her bedroom. The sounds of skin slapping against skin and wanton moaning echoed in the bed chamber. The empress was bent over as her champion fucked her until she came, and hoisted her against an armoire and fucked her again, ravaging every part of her, semen dribbling down her legs only to be filled up again some more when Keith came again. It wouldn’t be a surprise to Allura if she became pregnant after all this was done.

“Just so you know,” Keith panted while Allura rode him. “I don’t want to lie to you…” He closed his eyes with a sigh. “I’m half Altean… and half Galra.”

Allura’s lustful expression became stony as she stopped her movements. She wiped a trail of drool from the corner of her mouth and leaned forward while Keith’s hard cock was still inside of her. Keith quivered at her piercing stare, feeling the sweat run down his temples as her lips lowered next to his ear and gulped nervously as he felt her mouth shift into an unknown expression to whisper her response.

Her answer sent shivers down his spine and released inside of her without warning.

 

Four phoebs later, Allura approached her council about the state of her affairs. Her council was shocked by the empress’ announcement. 

“But your highness,” gasped a female member, “you’ve seen the reports! How could you let this happen!?”

The other council members looked at the woman curiously. Coran and Hys stood quiet as the others mumbled in disapproval and spoke among themselves. The pair would not say a word to anyone else nor the empress.

“Indeed I have seen the reports,” she replied, discontented at the responses. “However, that does not deter my plan of action. This is what we had discussed for a long while, and it is something that I currently desire. I do this with the best interest of my empire and my future children.”

“This does not make sense!” cried a councilman. “What is the point in all of this?! How can you do something so hypocritical!?”

“Do not worry.” Allura motioned to Coran. Her advisor nodded and poured wine to every council member and the empress. “My marriage to the Altean nobleman Roland will secure all doubt to the public. Now let us celebrate the news of my fruitful blessing.” She held up her goblet and waited for everyone to do the same. “To the Altean Empire!”

“To the Altean Empire!” 

Allura held the drink against her lips and watched as everyone gulped their wine. It did not take long before one of the council members looked up at the empress in horror before foaming from the mouth and turned blue before falling dead on the floor. The empress watched in satisfaction as her council dropped one by one with the exception of Coran and Hys, who silently observed the entire ordeal.

Hys was the first to say something. “Empress Allura doing such things is not good for your health. Think of your baby!”

Allura smiled softly, “I am fine, Hys.”

“No, no,” Coran interjected. “You may be three and a half phoebs pregnant, but that doesn’t take you entirely out of the danger zone! You must be more careful, your highness!”

Ready to say her piece of mind, a man in Altean armor came through the door, shaking his head in disapproval. “Did you really have to use poison, Allura? What if you accidentally drank it? You could have died! Our baby would have died!”

Coran waved his hands frantically. “That’s what I was saying!” 

“You three worry too much” Rolling her eyes, Allura walked out from the room with her champion in tow. Her body jerked back when he grasped her hand a little too suddenly.

“I’m so sorry,” he held her close to his chest and kissed her hand. “I didn’t mean to be so rough.”

“I’m pregnant, Keith, not an invalid.” Her face was flushed despite her annoyance. She looked up at her champion and gave him a reassuring kiss.

Keith smiled fondly at his empress and returned the kiss. He leaned to her right side and whispered the exact thing she had told him when he revealed his Galra heritage. Allura shivered at his words:

**“I know.”**


	2. Perfume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Empress Allura has plans for her public persona, but she's worried about her champion's sudden illness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to continue to add more into this particular universe and explore more into Allura and her relationship with her champion.  
> Based on some of the clues the show gives you: a movement (week) = 5 quintants (days)  
> And I'm just going to go on a limb and be unoriginal with my time, but for the sake of this fic, 1 phoeb(month) has 6 movements or 30 quintants.

Getting married in one phoeb after deciding to go for it during a masturbation high was almost impossible, even if the marriage was supposed to be a sham. Well, it wasn’t quite a sham. It was the union of two individuals for the sake of establishing a connection, or a legacy. Often times there was interest involved. Sometimes the interest was of the romantic sort, and sometimes it was for the monetary or the political sort. In this case, the marriage was to keep the public happy for it was the duty of a royal to maintain appearances to their subjects.

The empress did not love the man she chose to marry, and she found herself not caring about that fact at all. The man was handsome and came from a good noble line. He was obedient and eager to please his empress. He was the perfect person to be her husband. 

A prince consort did not have to worry about commanding anyone, or making laws or being stuck in meetings about important social and economic issues. They did not have to join the armed forces and lead troops into war. It was not required for a prince consort to learn to fight or attend lessons about diplomacy. As a prince consort, everyone was required to obey your commands. A prince consort was a man who had the privilege of being married to a powerful woman and sat around to look attractive and official in the eyes of the public. The perks of being the prince consort were great. 

There was a catch though.

Marriage was the joining of two individuals to pass on the family line, but this marriage would not be fruitful, at least not for the prince consort. The Altean empress would bear children to pass on and fortify her empire for centuries to come, and he would not be their biological father. She was very adamant that the only person who would sire her children was her champion.

About twelve movements since their first coupling, the champion had become sick. It occurred first thing in the morning with Allura waking up to the sound of her champion dry heaving.

“What’s wrong?” Allura scooted closer to Keith and rubbed his back. 

Keith retched before lying back on the bed, closing his eyes while covering it with his arm to hide the light. “Nauseated.”

“How? We ate the same thing, didn’t we?”

“I guess?” he groaned. 

Allura removed a lock of his dark hair away from his face and tucked it behind his ear. No matter how many times she saw them, the empress couldn’t help but feel pained. Initially she thought they were the ugliest ears she had ever laid eyes on, but upon further inspection they were clearly mutilated due to the scarring and shape. Keith always kept them hidden with his long hair and didn’t like it when Allura inquired about them, constantly avoiding the question or giving her vague answers. Though she did note how relaxed and content Keith seemed when she touched his ears. So long as she didn’t ask any questions, he was more than happy to let her explore to her heart’s desire.

The empress gently pulled at his ear, earning her a pleased whimper from her champion. “What makes it worse?”

He took several deep breaths. “It’s going away.” Keith let out a relieved sigh, and removed his arm from his face. Dark purple eyes staring into bright blue with a fond smile. “You smell a bit different.”

Allura smelled her shoulders then her underarms. “I suppose I do need a bath.”

Keith pulled Allura into his arms and smelled her hair. “No, it’s not that. You just smell different.” He inhaled deeply. “It’s a good smell.”

“Does it smell like you?” she teased, kissing down his jaw. “You did release quite a lot.”

“Nah.” Keith grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it between his fingers. “It doesn’t smell like me at all. It sort of smells like, uh, you? But times five? It’s really hard to explain. Sometimes I catch these smells and my mind can’t let go of it.”

Allura quirked her head to the side. She had never met someone with such a sensitive sense of smell, even among other species. She wondered if it was strictly a Galra thing or if his Altean heritage had some influence on the matter. There were times when Keith had to excuse himself from situations because the stench was too strong. Though it wasn’t because the odor was foul. In fact, the champion had a high tolerance for terrible smells, but rather because the odor was too pleasant. 

The first time it happened, Keith excused himself abruptly from the meeting room. Allura followed him, grabbed his arm, and demanded for him to return to save face for her.

“You’ve been here for only three movements and you dare you embarrass your empress!?”

She will never forget the profuse sweating or the dark hungry stare he gave her. Or how he struggled to keep his steady composure with all the twitching and labored breathing. Allura let go of his arm, and slowly backed away to keep her distance from her champion, not sure what he would do if she got any closer. She reached for a dagger hidden in her dress.

“Please,” he winced and pinched his nose. It almost looked like he was in pain. “Please don’t…wear that perfume again.”

“Perfume?” Allura sniffed her wrist and smelled nothing. That morning she had been in the mood to put on a perfume her father had gifted her for her eighteenth birthday. It wasn’t one she was terribly fond of, the sultry smell of black desert rose not being her favorite, yet it reminded her of happier days. She had always felt that perfume’s scent disappeared too quickly so she didn’t wear it often. Keith had left the room to meet with General Hys to learn his duties as the champion before she decided to put it on. “It’s been vargas.”

“I can still smell it,” he replied. Keith took a few steps back, fingers still pinching his nose. “It enhances your natural scent.”

“Oh?” Allura’s glare transformed into a devious smile. She took a few slow steps towards Keith. “How does it make you feel?”

Keith huffed in vexation, the hungry look in his eyes never fading. He removed his hand away from his nose, revealing a sleazy grin and inhaled. “Like I want to devour you.”

Instead of turning him away or stepping back, Allura allowed her beautiful champion to ravish her behind a pillar. She did not say anything about how in his lustful passion Keith left multiple marks on her neck. She did not complain when he loosened her bodice to expose her breasts, suckle on her nipples and fondle them as he fucked her against the pillar while holding her leg up. Allura didn’t even mind the worried whispers of the maids who passed by the area and scurried away in fear when Keith accidentally let out a pleasured moan.

“You feel so good,” he panted against her ear. He nibbled its tip then reached for her lips for a kiss.

Allura returned the kiss, tongues mixing with passion, eager to taste one another. She held in her voice through the kiss, panting heavily against Keith’s as her body tensed up as she came. Keith’s release came soon as she felt his warm seed fill her up, sending another pleasurable sensation throughout her body. Allura’s eyes flew wide open and moaned when she came again.

_Perfume, was it?_ she thought. _That is such an interesting piece of information._

“There is absolutely no way I can go back to the meeting dripping like this,” Allura replied as Keith assisted her into a nearby restroom. After cleaning herself, Allura brushed her hair with her fingers, and fixed her bodice. She straightened out her dress the best she could before looking behind her shoulders in the mirror a few times to be sure her clothes were in place. “Do you still smell it?”

Keith tucked in his shirt and clasped his armored belt. “I do,” and rubbed his nose a few times before discreetly pocketing Allura’s panties. 

Allura pretended not to see that. 

“Is it still strong?”

Keith nodded without looking at Allura and rubbed his nose again. 

“Very well,” she hummed. “You are excused. However…”

“Yes?” Keith’s eyes were still on the floor. He flinched when he felt Allura gently stroke his face, but relaxed under her soft touch. His nose began to flare up wildly, searching for the scent that was driving him mad. Not daring to touch Allura, Keith closed his eyes as he moved his face closer to her hand and inhaled deeply. A soft sigh escaped his lips.

Allura’s heart skipped a beat. She was going to scold him for not looking at her when she spoke to him. Instead he made her feel… bad? Less than twenty quintants ago, Keith was making a confident spectacle in the area, garnering her undivided attention. He had sex with her almost every night since then, using careful touches and playful kisses to get Allura in the mood. If she rejected him, he did not press any further. Yet he was so self-assured in his performance in bed, and enjoyed Allura’s fascination with his cock’s shape often making smug remarks about it to Allura’s mild annoyance. His caresses were firm and steady as his persona was guarded. Now he seemed small and vulnerable under her touch. She could sense some sort of internal struggle as he furrowed his eyebrows and trembled in her hand. Allura felt her ears turn red and quickly pulled away from her champion.

If Keith was upset by her brusque response, Allura could not tell. “It’s nothing,” she whispered. She cleared her throat and spoke louder. “It’s nothing. Go get some rest. You look exhausted.” 

Turning away, Allura walked towards the door. Is he upset with me? 

“I’m…”

Allura paused.

“I’m sorry,” Keith muttered.

“For what exactly?” She could feel his gaze boring into her back. 

“For embarrassing you.”

“I,” she took a deep breath. She hoped he did not hear it or see the burning redness in her ears. Allura was sure her face was just as red. “Appreciate your sincere apology.”

The door opened. 

_No, no, no! You have to tell him you’re not mad either!_

“I’mnotmadatyou!” she blurted and dashed out of the room.

 

Keith’s sickness continued over the next quintants. It occurred mainly in the mornings, and hit at the most inopportune times throughout the day. Sometimes he would be sitting at the table to eat and then run to throw up, other times he’d randomly felt nauseated, but food tended to make it worse. With the illness also came some leg swelling and bloating, which left Keith irritable to nearly everyone in the palace. 

Though Allura did not fall victim to any of his snarling or snapping, she had become worried about his state of health. It couldn’t have been the food as she had not had any of the symptoms. Assuming it was the duties as a royal knight, the empress ordered General Hys to give Keith a break so he may recover.

Hys scoffed at the request. “My empress you misjudge me! I know a sick person when I’ve seen one. I have children too for gods’ sakes. For the past three quintants I’ve told your champion to get some rest, but he doesn’t listen. I’ve caught him training the other quintant. It took five guards to pull him out of the room, including me.”

“That is quite a feat.”

And quite a feat it was as General Hys was the chief commanding officer for the Altean military. She oversaw the fleets and the armies, and actively participated in the battles. Hys was a very tall for an Altean woman, easily towering the average male, and she was strong. Insanely strong. So strong she was known in her gambling years to have bench pressed several grown men, and decked people across a bar for getting too grabby with her. Hys had yellow markings under her eyes and dark scarlet hair, though her right mark was slightly covered by the eyepatch she wore over her eye after losing it during the war against the Galra.

“I’ve told him to see the doctor too,” replied Hys. “But of course he doesn’t listen. If you tell him, I’m sure he’ll listen.” Hys arched her eyebrows suggestively. “He’s so enamored by you.”

“W-what?” Allura’s cheeks became crimson. “Don’t say such things, Hys. He’s only known me for two phoebs.”

“I am merely telling you what I see, my empress.”

“Well he hasn’t said anything,” she grumbled. “Regardless I will speak with him about this matter.”

It didn’t take much to convince Keith to see a doctor. The fact that the empress said it was an order probably helped her cause more. If there was one thing she could say about her beautiful champion was that he was loyal to her and obeyed her command, even if he did have some bouts of disapproval. For the most part Keith showed his irritation towards any commands behind closed doors when no one else but Allura was around.

“What are you doing?” asked Keith, sitting on a long, cold table.

Allura pulled out a piece of dried fruit from a bag, and ate it. “Hm?” What a silly question! “Is it odd for me to be here with you?”

“No,” Keith shrugged his hands. “I’m talking about what you’re eating.”

“Oh that.” Allura took another piece and chewed it thoughtfully. “I’ve been craving this fruit as of late. I’d honestly share with you but,” she pulled out a large morsel and ate it happily, “it’s too delicious.” 

Allura wiggled a tiny dance in her seat as she continued to blissfully eat the fruit with a satisfied smile on her face.

Keith chuckled. Allura almost felt embarrassed by her childish response. Almost. She was too busy relishing her tasty treat to care about Keith’s laugh. And yet she did not fail to notice his affectionate smile.

It had taken vargas for the doctor to figure out what was wrong with Keith. When the diagnosis was given, Keith and Allura left the room in shock.

“Sympathetic pregnancy,” Coran mused aloud, curling his moustache. “Can’t say I’ve personally encountered it, but I’ve known men that have. Your father had that actually.” He nodded and paced excitedly around the empress. 

“It is what I wanted,” Allura murmured softly with an unconscious smile.

“Yes, it certainly is what you’ve been aiming for,” he replied. “Though I am worried about the council.”

“The fact that one of them found out about Keith? Do not worry, Coran.” The empress held her hand above her womb. “I have already stated my intentions to marry an Altean man to raise my children. The public shall only know that I have a champion who exists to protect me, and a prince consort to look official and fatherly. I will take care of the council later. I must focus on taking care of my child and finding the suitable man to be my prince consort.”

“It seems,” Coran answered wistfully, “rather cold.”

“I do not love my champion,” she said blankly. Those words felt mechanical when they came out from her mouth. “He is merely someone who is fit to sire my children. You’ve known about this plan since the beginning, Coran.”

“Allura-”

“Enough.” A firm answer. Allura was done with the subject. She knew what she was doing, and she didn’t need Coran to try and convince her otherwise. It didn’t bother her that her actions appeared to be the opposite of what she said. 

_I know what I am doing, she told herself. I am the one who fought against the Galra when my father would not. I am the one who emerged victorious and brought her people into a new age of prosperity. I do not need to explain myself to anyone._

Was it true that the champion didn’t have an official room? Yes. He stayed with her since the very beginning and hasn’t left her room since. Allura didn’t care if Coran or the council didn’t approve of the arrangement. It was her decision to keep her champion close. Several movements ago, in a fit of sexual frustration she had already killed or fired her entire harem. So it only made sense for her to have Keith at her side.

_To keep me company._ Allura sighed dreamily _… No! Not that sort of company! Just for my physical needs. He’s just a Galra. A Galra half-breed._

She was going to give Keith his own room after the doctor’s visit, at least that is what she told herself as she continued to eat those delectable treats. When the two left that room, Keith mumbled a “I need to be alone” and walked away.

Unhappy with his reaction, Allura waited several doboshes before spraying a citrus-smelling perfume on her body to neutralize her odor. If she was going to stalk him, she may as well have the advantage of clouding his pesky sense of smell. There would be no element of surprise if he could smell her!

After her previous experience with the scent amplification incident, Allura consulted with a scribe regarding the matter. But due to her scribe of choice having been absent for a long time, the empress did not get the chance to speak with him until last movement. 

“What the hell do you want?” a tired, young Altean man shuffled miserably into Allura’s private quarters and sat in a large chair across from Allura’s desk. He was not at all amused by the empress’ sudden request to have a conference with him. Allura cheerfully ignored his death glares.

“You’ve been gone for a while, Garrett,” she replied pleasantly behind her desk. “I missed you.”

Son of her advisor Coran, the young scribe was but a few years younger than Allura. He resembled his father in that his Altean marks was the same color and had his strong nose. His fluffy mop of a head was darker than Coran’s, and had the strangest bangs resembling his father’s luxurious moustache. There was no physical doubt that Garrett was Coran’s son, but personality wise…

Garrett snorted and rubbed his temples. “What a load of shit.”

…he was foul-mouthed and not at all bright and chipper.

“So what is it?” he sighed and cozied up into the chair. He muttered, “The things I put up with.”

“I need some advice.”

“Goddammit. Quiznak Lulu,” he deadpanned. Garrett’s straight-faced expression was his trademark look. Considering being raised as almost siblings, Allura thought nothing of it, very well used to his dryness. “I am a busy man.”

“And I am a busy _empress_ ,” she countered.

“ _Your highness_ ,” he spat back sarcastically. “With all due respect, how good is your ancient Altean?”

Allura quirked an eyebrow. Where was he going with this? “It’s… below… passable.”

“So I take it that your Heraclean is even fucking worse right? Since, you know, before the ancient Alteans came about, Altea used to be called Heracles right? And before the modern Heraclean language there was middle period Heraclean, and of course before that was ancient Heraclean? Am I losing you yet?”

“Garrett-”

“No Allura, you fucking listen to me,” he frowned. “You can literally, I swear to the quiznaking gods, **literally** count with one hand the number of people who can decipher ancient Heraclean.” Garrett held up his hand. “One of those unlucky fools is me. That is a language and writing system that existed 60,000 years ago, and thanks to that recent ruins discovery, we found some tomes. None of this shit is digital, and it’s all in godforsaken hieroglyphics! It’s a fucking miracle any of the texts survived. Do you have any idea how utterly remarkable it is that someone can read this? Do you?!”

Allura calmly poured Garrett a hot cup of tea, stirring in two cubes of a purple sweetener before passing it to the overworked scribe. She opened a box full of fresh pastries and placed one with a bright green fruit center on his saucer. “How many quintants did you go without sleep this time?”

“Ugh two, maybe three,” he groaned while scratching his head. Sipping the warm tea, he sighed contently and nibbled on the pastry. “I’m sorry, sister.”

“I understand,” she smiled softly, and poured herself tea. “But you do need to sleep. After we finish talking, I want you to go to bed.”

“Aw come on-”

Allura gave him a sly look. “I will get the guards, Garrett~” she sing-songed. “You know I’ve done it before.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes, unhappy with the notion that he had to sleep but happy with there being more of his favorite pastries in the box. “How can I help you, sister?”

“I need to know more about the Galra.”

“Well that sure as hell isn’t vague or suspicious.” He hummed joyfully when he found a tart with a pink and blue filling. “Aren’t you the one who wants to kill them all?”

“All I want to know,” she answered with a roll of her eye, “are their sense of smell… in the sexual sense.”

Garrett narrowed his eyes, chewing on his tart slowly. “This wouldn’t happen to be linked to your champion, would it?”

“Of course not!” Allura scoffed at the ridiculous remark, completely unable to directly look at brother’s eyes. “I just want to know is all.”

The scribe noisily sipped his tea while giving Allura the most blank yet knowing expression he could muster. “So this isn’t anything like the time when you had the biggest crush on that Galra boy?”

“I did not have a crush on a Galra.” Allura’s eyes shifted back and forth. Feeling her cheeks grow warm, she covered them up with her hands in her poor attempt to hide them. She would never admit to anyone, not even Garrett, that the subject of the young mixed Galra boy she once met still made her weak in the knees.

“Allura.” He placed his cup gently on top of its saucer. “You were, what? Seven, six years old? You would not stop talking about that boy. Every single fucking day it was the Galra boy this and the Galra boy that. You even made me turn purple so you could practice talking to him.”

“I did no-” Allura placed her hand over her mouth in realization. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“Yeah you did.” Garrett crossed his arms. “You were like,” he placed hands over his cheeks and shook his head like a bashful little girl, the pitch in his voice higher, “ _Be yours? Of course I will, my darling prince! We shall wed under the stars and I shall have my juniberry bouquet~_ ” Folding his hands together, Garrett leaned his head against them with a bright smile. “ _You are my moon!_ ”

Garrett truly was Coran’s son.

“You were so into him.” Garrett took another sip. “You even forced me to read books on the Galra.” Garrett shrugged, “On the flipside, that did get me into research and studying languages. So, yes, I do thank you for that part.”

“Are you done?”

“No, actually I’m remembering the time you were infatuated with that one foreign soldier when you were fifteen.” Taking a large bite from his tart, Garrett began to recall his experience with Allura’s teenage obsession with the soldier. “He was stationed in Tatooine…or was it Daxam?” 

Allura scowled and snatched the pastry from Garrett’s hand, and ate the rest. “Let’s steer back to the topic at hand.”

Garrett held his hand in the same position. He was horrified. “That was mine…”

“Gare!”

“I’m running on fumes here, Lulu.” He licked his fingers, hoping to taste more of the fruity treat that was viciously stolen from him. “Okay, okay, repeat the question.”

“I want to know more about the Galra’s sense of smell.”

“Sexually speaking, right?” He received a ‘you damn know that’ look from Allura. “The Galra are an interesting species. They’re one of the rare few who can breed and produce viable offspring with other species. And those offspring are also fertile too. That’s pretty uncommon as far as interspecies progeny goes.”

Allura took a sip from her tea. “I see.”

“Yeah they’re a species that evolved to breed like wildfire. People actively seek out Galra so they can bang them. I mean the males got those infamous bumpy ridged dicks and splooge a ton to make sure their partner gets pregnant. I hear their jizz has endorphin-like properties too. And the females-”

“You’re so vulgar, Garrett,” Allura sighed. She couldn’t help but swallow and squeeze her legs at his last comment. It wasn’t a lie. “Can we talk about their sense of smell?”

“Just sayin’.” Garret shrugged. “Anyway, Galra are thought to mate for life. Not that they can’t cheat or anything: it’s the thought, not the rule. But usually they get really attached to specific people if they smell right. They already have an impressive olfactory sense, but that doesn’t compare to when they find the person who piques their er, olfactory? interest.” Letting out a long yawn, Garrett stretched in his seat. “It doesn’t even have to be a fellow Galra. When they finally find the special person whose smell gets them up in a tizzy, they drown themselves in their love and devote themselves to them. I guess it’s how they know that’s “the one,” you know?”

The information was fascinating to say the least. To think that her champion had found his “special person” and that person was her was flattering. Though she didn’t feel much for him. He was handsome and strong. Very graceful too. He had a soothing voice and gorgeous dark hair which contrasted well with his deep purple eyes. But that was it! All physical. It didn’t matter how he would stay nearby whenever she was upset, or brought her a warm drink during cold nights. Those kind gestures meant nothing. Not even the time he helped braid her hair…

_That was actually very nice,_ she thought with a dreamy smile.

“Just so you know though, sister,” he yawned. “That’s solely based on Altean observation. The smell thing that is. Galra don’t admit these kinds of things for shit.”

“Oh…” Allura’s face fell.

“Still if it’s a bother,” he recanted carefully, “I suggest you look for a perfume or oil to neutralize your smell. Cover it with something else.” Reaching for the teapot, Garrett poured Allura more tea into her cup. “So… is he Galra?”

Allura was quiet for a moment. Twiddling her fingers, she was unable to look at Garrett’s eyes again. “…Did Coran tell you something?”

Garrett took a bite of a cream puff and frowned. “My dad is a loyal man, Allura. Sure, I can tell he’s been itching to tell me something, but that’s just because he wears his heart on his sleeve. My dad is a bad liar, but he never said anything. So? Galra?”

The empress responded with silence to which Garrett nodded and decided not to press any further.

“Sister…” Allura looked up. “I just want to know one thing.”

“What is it?”

“If your champion isn’t anything but a fuck toy to make babies, why is he still living in your bedroom?”

His comment still stung even after a movement’s time. But it didn’t matter to Allura. No. She was going off to find Keith to tell him he no longer had the privilege to reside in her chambers. What sort of reaction was that anyway? 

_How insulting! He should be grateful I was able to get pregnant in the first place!_

The search took longer than expected, as her champion had decided to go “be alone” in the gardens. The empress almost missed him entirely had she not heard the loud wet sniffs coming behind a bush near the juniberry sanctuary. Careful not to be seen, Allura observed Keith. She had come into the gardens guns blazing, ready to shoot first and ask questions later, yet there she was now spying on him instead, hesitant to move from her spot as she saw the tears rolling down Keith’s face.

And he was smiling with so much joy.

Allura wasn’t sure when she finally began to breathe again. Hearting beating so hard it felt like it would escape from her chest. A stinging pain hit the back of her throat. When her vision began to blur that’s when Allura knew she had to leave. She could not bear the thought of Keith seeing her cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual I love to use planets or species from pre-existing series.  
> Garrett is a character from DotU. He was Coran's son, so I decided to incorporate him more.  
> Hys is Nanny's Golion name, Mrs. Hys. 
> 
> As usual I welcome kudos and any comments!


	3. Intuition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura's betrothed has made himself known to Keith much to Allura's disapproval, and Allura begins to analyze her private moments with Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garrett is 19 going on 20.

“You’re… beautiful!” gushed an Altean man with orange marks and short hunter green hair. 

Empress Allura was taken aback by the man’s auspicious comment. It wasn’t the fact that he had called her beautiful. Allura was used to these compliments after all; however, the fact that it was directed to her champion is what set off the alarms in her head. She had not expected him to admire Keith. If anything, since her first few encounters with him and deciding he shall be her spouse and raise her children, she had expected him to detest or be jealous of Keith. Not… this...

Keith turned his head, looking around for anyone else he could be referring to, but couldn’t seem to find said person. He eyed Allura then back at the Altean. The man was clearly looking at him.

“M-me?” he stammered while pointing at himself.

“Well this didn’t get weird at all,” muttered Garrett who was standing next to a horrified Coran. 

The man took a few steps towards Keith and bowed respectfully, placing his hand over his heart. “I’m Roland of the Eastern Chemara Plains. I am very pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

The room was silent for an excruciating awkward dobosh. Keith’s eyes wandered everywhere but at Roland. Coran was still white as a ghost. Allura wasn’t sure if she should be infuriated by her assumptions being wrong, or confused.

Garrett was the first to break out the silence. “No one’s going to point out the big ass klanmuirl in the room? Because holy shit guys, it’s right there and the color is green.”

“My apologies for making this seem uncomfortable,” Roland smiled shyly. “I found myself taken by beauty of the empress’ champion. My lovely betrothed has excellent taste.”

Keith coughed. “Thank… you?”

“Yes, well,” Allura huffed, “I have chosen Roland to be my husband. He understands his role. We shall wed by the next phoeb. You three are dismissed. I have much to discuss with my betrothed.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Garrett yawned, shaking his petrified father’s shoulder. “Come on dad. Let’s go get some iced cake shakes.”

“Is this your little brother, my empress?” Roland asked curiously, leaning towards the teen.

Coran instantly snapped out of his stupor and stood in between the two, his index finger pointing accusingly at Roland. “You stay away from my boy! Garrett is a sweet angel and I will not let you corrupt him!”

“Iced. Cake. Shakes,” Garrett pouted, latching onto Coran’s arm like grumpy child and pulled him away.

Coran never took his eyes off from Roland as his son led him away, pointing two fingers at his eyes then flicking them towards the empress’ betrothed. He mouthed “ _I’m watching you_ ” before closing the door with Keith closely in tow.

Allura was visibly upset with the entire situation. It was supposed to be only Coran and Garrett to meet Roland. Keith wasn’t to meet him until much later after she drilled the correct responses to her fiancé. She had not wanted Keith to hear of her plans, at least not the finer details. 

Did Keith know Allura was to wed another man? Yes. She had made it transparent to him the following morning after first night of passion. Keith had embraced Allura securely in his arms, the big spoon to her little, occasionally snuggling against her neck breathing out in relief before lulling himself back to sleep. The empress laid awake in his arms recalling the events from the night before. 

_So feral,_ she thought as she lowered her hand. Her pussy was still wet and dripping from the hours before, her juices mixed with his copious seed. Her fingers slid with ease against her clit and folds, a soft moan escaping her lips. She pulled her fingers out and examined the sticky semen. _Virile too._

Slightly moving her hips, Allura sensed something hard prodding her thighs. A salacious grin. _Oh, what’s this?_

Careful not to wake him, Allura lifted her leg while guiding Keith’s cock between her slit before lowering her leg again. Slowly she began to glide against his hardened member, bucking her hips and thighs back and forth. Allura gasped loudly when the large bump near his head swept against her nub. It felt so good to have that heated flesh brush against her, tantalizing her for more. It was maddening how it made her crave more of his touch. Her breath was ragged and wanton as she was getting closer to her release.

Firm hands suddenly clutched her hips, thrusting faster between her wet folds, letting every knot knead against her clit. Allura curled against Keith’s chest, mewling in pleasure. 

“You like this, don’t you?” he teased against her ear. “You not only like to get fucked by strangers, but you like to use their dicks without their permission.”

Allura responded with grasping his ass with a smug smile, and whimpered despite herself.

Whispering softly with uneven breaths, “I will give you my everything.” He let out a loud moan when Allura tighten her thighs. His words were too heated. Shivers ran her arms. “My body. My soul. My loyalty. It’s yours- oh god-” He pulled at his empress desperately, stuttering “ _I finally found you._ ”

A few more frantic strokes were all it took before Allura’s muscles clamped over his cock and came, crying out, “Raimon!”

Keith came immediately after. Hot semen splattered against her groin, thighs, and abdomen. The two panted in each other’s embrace before Allura jolted with realization, and rolled away from Keith, sitting at the edge of the bed.

Heart drumming wildly, Allura wisely chose to not face her consort, afraid her face would give her away. If she could see herself in a mirror, she was certain panic would be written all over.

This was wrong. This was very wrong. This act… those words? They reminded her of a time when…

Keith was confused by her abrupt reaction but nonetheless reached out to touch her back with a nervous smile. “Do you r-”

It took every fiber of her being to not jump at his hand. She managed to nonchalantly pull away from his touch as if it were an unpleasant afterthought. “Have a lot to do? Of course I do,” she scoffed. “I almost forgot about an appointment I have with my council. I am an empress after all.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

The empress reached for a robe and put it on. Nudity among partners was never anything Allura was embarrassed about, but slipping into the robe gave her a sense of protection. It felt like an armor that would shield her from exposing any of her vulnerabilities. She turned to look at her champion, her proud, regal expression flowing throughout her body. It was time to set up the boundaries. Last night was a fluke. A fit of lust that consumed them until just a few doboshes ago. But now her mind was clear and her heart resolved. 

_I will not let a moment of uncertainty cloud my judgement. I am in charge. You are an empress. Remember that Allura. Now behave as one._

“As empress I have responsibilities and obligations. I intend to uphold my appearance to my people. I am their pillar, their paragon of strength. That being said, you must know that this position does not mean we shall wed.”

“Right,” Keith agreed though his voice was tinged with disappointment. His sentiment did not fall on deaf ears. Allura could see the pang of defeat in his expressive blue-violet eyes. A sharp needle pricked the back of her throat. Something inside of her stopped her from telling Keith how he was only met to be a stud, not a consort. How his only purpose was to sire children and not raise them as his own. To protect her at all costs while fucking her on command. Never to hold his children or let his identity be known to them. Never to come close to them for any reason whatsoever and watch as another man, a well-bred noble Altean, shower them with love and adoration. He would never be called “father,” just “champion.”

She just could not tell him. 

_Later. I will tell him later when the time is right._

Would there ever be a right time?

 

“Do not ever do that again, Roland,” she scowled. 

“My sincerest apologies,” he replied with a bow. “I couldn’t help but compliment him.”

“You’ve already said that. If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, I suggest you maintain that flippant mouth of yours shut.” Allura paced dangerously around the noble. He was tall, but not as tall as Keith. He had a fair build, but not as impressive as Keith’s more muscular and defined build. Allura and Roland were the same height. Absolutely nothing to be intimidated by. 

“Say anything unnecessary to my champion, and I will deny it. You slip up, and your head rolls.” Allura’s eyes narrowed darkly. “Do you understand?” 

Roland swallowed anxiously. “Absolutely, your highness. Ah, um…”

“What is it?” she snapped.

“How, how far are you?”

“Three phoebs. I intend to get this ceremony over with by the next phoeb.”

 

Finding a day without any social obligations, wedding plans, the council pestering her, or Keith doing his job as her personal knight, watching her like a razorback hawkle was nearly impossible. Allura may have been empress, but that was not enough to give her some alone time. Naturally she could have used her free time right before bed, though that would take time away from her precious intimate moments with Keith. She was not willing to let that go so easily. 

The first few movements, the two spent that time having sex then passing out on the bed. Allura said it was to get pregnant, and of course to get pleasure out of it. Keith seemed to be excited when pregnancy was mentioned, which was an added plus. When Allura was not in the mood, Keith usually managed to seduce her with his caresses and kisses, then the two would rut like no tomorrow. Out of nowhere the wild and frenzied sex came to a screeching halt days before Allura found out about her pregnancy. 

Was it some sort of unconscious understanding or something else entirely?

The idea of them being somehow aware of the state of pregnancy was not probable as Allura had been pregnant for several movements before the discovery. And she definitely remembered fucking Keith like a usapin in heat during those days. 

Different wouldn’t even begin to describe their change of routine. Some nights the two spent it kissing each other nonstop. Small pecks here and there. Long, passionate make out sessions with butterfly kisses in between. Flirty smooches, playful brushes, lustful tongue wrestling, fond smiles grazing against other. They would continue until their kisses were smothered with yawns, even going so far as sleeping in between a peck.

On the nights without sex, the two would talk about various subjects such as things they were interested in, things that annoyed them, things that grossed them out. This would continue for vargas on end until one of them passed out on the other’s shoulder. Allura was surprised to learn that Keith liked to read novels. Keith was perplexed by Allura’s extensive knowledge on blades. When the theme of the past came about, Allura was more than happy to prattle along about her childhood and her relationship with her father.

“You know…” Allura said carefully. She pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. “You haven’t said much about your past.”

She had tried to bring the topic up a few times. Her first attempt was a massive failure. She was too belligerent and scoffed at Keith’s indifferent responses like “It’s not interesting” “I’m tired” and “My life’s pretty boring.” Keith angrily stormed out from the room because of her insistence. When Allura woke up, he was sleeping on the floor beside her. He apologized profusely for his behavior and promised he would not do that again. The empress reassured him she was not upset which did nothing to placate him. Once stating she forgave him, he calmed down and joined her in the bed.

With time, Allura’s probing for answers gained finesse, able to dodge any landmines and coax a positive response out of Keith. It wasn’t foolproof though. Sometimes she ran into a wall and couldn’t jump over it. Tomorrow is another day she would tell herself and dropped the subject. This proved to be effective at times. When she was lucky, Keith would curl up behind Allura and tell her an intimate tidbit about his past. She had the feeling some of what he had told her was vague or highly censored. Yet it was better than nothing. Hopefully time and patience would break down his walls and Keith would come to reveal more details.

“I’m remembering how my mother used to smell my father all the time,” he said one night, burying his face into Allura’s back and holding her tightly. “She said he smelled too good to let go.”

Allura stayed quiet. Her heart was ready to burst out from her chest. 

“…Dad…” Keith swallowed. “…I don’t know if he knew why my mother did that.” He took a deep breath and exhaled ecstatically.

“…Do you?”

“No.”

Allura could tell he was lying, but let it go and thought about what it all meant until she drifted off into sleep.

And when there was sex it wasn’t fueled entirely by unbridled lust, but something else Allura wasn’t sure to call. Fondness? Respect? They haven’t even known one another for long, yet it had felt as if they’ve met before. Past lives perhaps? Maybe even at some point in this life?

If Allura could have the proper alone time to think, no interruptions, no wedding plans, and no Keith doing his job, she’d be able to figure out this troubling feeling regarding her champion. Had they met before? Whatever Keith knew, he would not tell. 

And it hurt.

It hurt a lot. 

_Why though? I thought…_ Allura’s eyes watered. _I thought he cared for me. He said I was his._

Was the pregnancy making her more emotional or was it making her more perceptive on these matters? Allura had heard about an Altean woman’s intuition and magical abilities increasing ten-fold when pregnant. While she hasn’t tested the theory, she could feel there was something different about her. Tomorrow she would ask Hys about her experience with pregnancy. She trusted her judgment and Hys would never lie to her.

The bedroom door opened without a knock. Allura sprinted to the bathroom and washed her face to rid its melancholy and tears. Now her sadness was replaced with annoyance. Only Keith would be so obtuse as to enter without knocking. Not even Garrett showed this sort of disregard for privacy.

Head held high, and eyes free of tears, Allura strutted back to her bed. Keith was laying in his shorts with a serious look about him. He seemed tensed and worried about something. They had not seen one another since Allura had her private talk with Roland.

_Something must have happened._

“Keith?” she inquired softly. Keith looked up at Allura, giving her a gentle smile in return. “Are you alright?”

Keith nodded. “I’m just tired.”

Sitting at the edge of the bed, Allura thought about the many ways to approach the delicate situation. Any time Keith was in one of his thoughtful moods, saying the wrong words would make it worse. At the risk of seeing a tantrum, Allura decided to press on a little more.

Using the most amused tone she could muster, Allura casually reached for her brush at the bedside. “Did you over-train again?”

“Not really,” he stretched. “Coran showed me that ceremonial chandelier in the grand ballroom.”

_This sounds true._

She continued to brush her hair as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Is that so? Did he show you its special lighting?” 

Keith’s feet fidgeted. “No.” Even though Allura was not facing him, she could tell her wasn’t looking at her at all. “It wasn’t working.”

_What a lie._

“That’s a pity,” Allura yawned, placing the brush back. She smoothed out the bedsheet before bringing up her legs onto the bed. “The chandelier is quite an exciting piece. It is made of a special Balmeran crystal extracted by Sacred Altean sages, and has many ceremonial uses. I find the Innocents Ceremony particularly beautiful.”

“What’s that?” he asked curiously. His eyes locked with Allura’s.

“It’s a blessing ceremony for a baby.” Allura said nothing when Keith’s hand touched her abdomen. “My baby will be presented and will be bathed in a special light emitted by the chandelier.” 

She did not miss the slight pout on Keith’s face when she said ‘my’ or the slight increase of pressure on his hand. “Will it hurt our baby?”

“Of course not,” she giggled. “I went through the ceremony when I was an infant, and I’m perfectly fine. It’s merely a custom Alteans have. Did… you ever have that ceremony?”

“I wouldn’t know,” he shrugged. “I don’t know if they had those things on Daibazaal.”

“If you did, you must have been too young,” she pondered. “Either way, I think you will like the ceremony. The light is truly a sight to behold.”

His eyes faltered briefly before looking back at his empress. His hand grazing towards her hips then to her hand. He grasped it, and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “Yeah… that would be nice.”

Allura squeezed back and brought his hand to her lips, giving it a tender kiss. She had come to enjoy Keith’s company. Even though she felt there was not enough time to herself, she would never sacrifice these precious vargas with Keith. The night time was the only time the two could be themselves. They both were not 100% sincere with one another, but it was a start. 

Slowly, she crawled on top of Keith and straddled his hips, rocking hers against his. Keith grinned, reaching for her mound and massaging it through her moistening panties. 

“Mmm, that’s good,” she encouraged, guiding Keith’s hand inside her lingerie. 

His warm fingers lazily explored her vulva before inserting two fingers inside her. With his other hand, he lowered his shorts to free his growing erection as he watched Allura fuck herself with his fingers. It was quite a sight to see. Her flushed face biting into her lips in pleasure as she leisurely bucked her hips, savoring every sensation. Withdrawing his fingers, Allura’s whines were cut short when she saw Keith licking them.

“Keith,” she gasped, “Keith, I…”

“Yes?” He bit his lips as Allura unhooked her panty from one leg, grabbed his aching cock and positioned it below her entrance. His hands meandered towards her hips and arched his back when he felt her tight heat around him.

Allura rode him painstakingly slow, the girth filling every bit of her sex with the bumps touching her most sensitive areas. It didn’t matter if they were in a rush, heated by lust, or taking their time with these new emotions developing, Allura could never seem to get tired of Keith’s dick. “I need you so bad.”

The empress leaned towards Keith and kissed him. The kiss was soft and delicate, untainted by any carnal desire to which Keith returned with the same sentiment. In between the kiss they smiled warmly before returning to kiss, their bodies melding together in ecstasy and affection. Keith pressed his forehead against Allura’s as his thrusts began to become more erratic and hurried. Allura clasped her hand around Keith’s, the pleasure becoming too much, reaching its peak. 

The two came without a word, only their gasps and heavy breaths. Still holding hands, they kissed in between the pants until they finally caught their breath. Keith gently rolled Allura onto the mattress. She closed her heavy eyes, ready to sleep when she was suddenly carried her into the bathroom. 

Allura was perplexed by his action but said nothing when her tired muscles were embraced by the heat. He washed her lower half carefully and sponged off the sweat off her face and neck with a clean washcloth. It didn’t take long for him to clean himself up. He lifted and laid Allura onto a towel he had placed and dried her the best he could. 

“Sorry for wetting your nightgown,” he murmured and removed it.

Allura was silent. She allowed him to carry her back onto the bed and watched as Keith rummaged in her closet for sleep wear. He returned with a long pink night gown and helped her put it on. Her champion slipped into clean shorts and laid beside her. He caressed her face, thumb smoothing against her lips.

“Goodnight,” he whispered.

“Goodnight,” she mirrored.

Closing her eyes, her mind began to drift away, the fatigue finally settling in. As she was approaching towards the unconsciousness, she realized something:

_That was our first goodnight._

In the morning, the two carried on with their usual business. After breakfast, Coran pulled Allura to a private area, concern etched onto his face.

“Your highness… Last evening, er, well… there’s something important I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Roland,” Coran sighed, “and Keith.” Looking to make sure no one was around, he whispered into her ear, “And the council.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little known fact, Roland is Garrett's Golion name.  
> Good news is that I am going to do a continuation of "Hideous Ears." I'm going to dedicate that one to Keith's POV as how this is Allura's POV. They will intertwine with one another, so please look forward to it!
> 
> I love me some comments.


	4. Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran finds his son looking at the chandelier and overhears a conversation between Keith and Roland. Allura finds out a secret her father hid from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sadly does not contain porn, but I'll compensate that with the next one.  
> Plot just got ahead of me. It's a tug-o-war between story time and sexy time. Story time beat sexy time.

Typing furiously into his holo-computer, Garrett had been sitting in the grand ballroom for an entire quintant without any signs of stopping. There were no breaks except to relieve himself. Piles of food were stationed to his right, while the trash thrown far to his left, narrowly avoiding several old-fashioned paper books he had stockpiled. He kept his personal pad close, albeit on silent mode. 

No one was going to disturb him from his studies. 

Normally it took either his sister or others days to find where Garrett had cooped himself at. The last time he had “disappeared,” it had taken almost three movements before he was found. It would have lasted longer had the scribes not asked Coran to assist them. Out of everyone, Coran was the only person who had a knack for finding Garrett without even trying. All Garrett had to do was tell his father ‘Be back later, dad’ and he would be undisturbed unless someone needed him. He learned from a long time ago if he didn’t give his father the goodbye, Coran would go hunting and bring him back by the ears, needlessly lecturing him until they got home. Garrett was six years old when he learned that lesson and he was not about to get reprimanded again if he could help it. 

Yawning, Garrett stretched up his arms and walked towards the crystal chandelier he had lowered. Attached to the beautiful crystal were four long cables that connected into a small console that fed information to his holo-computer, which he was able to turn off and on using a small bracelet with an extension reaching to his palm. The button was pressed twice using his middle and ring fingers to turn it on, and three times to turn it off. That portable holo-computer was his lifeline. Without it, he wouldn’t be able to function and focus on his studies. At least that’s the excuse he went with. Coran scolded him about his dependence on the device, but Garrett shrugged it off and continued using it while adding more upgrades, tweaking it to meet his demands. Right now his holo-computer was sophisticated enough to only obey his voice and only function with his fingerprints. If anyone managed to steal and operate it, the device would explode if his fingerprints were not identified within three doboshes. But before he could add that feature, he would have to figure out first how to send his sensitive information to another safe location. Too much work and so little time.

Garrett hated being a slave to sleep. 

He circled around the chandelier, searching for any new information. Through his tireless research, he was able to translate a text in his ancient Heraclean tomes regarding this very chandelier. He wasn’t too sure if the chandelier itself was used by the old civilization or if the crystal in general was in their possession. Whatever the case was, Garrett wanted to know more about this magnificent piece of history.

After taking another restroom break and raiding the kitchen, Garrett returned with a large cake. He didn’t feel ashamed for stealing it at all. If anything, he felt he deserved the treat after that very awkward encounter with Roland from the previous day. The iced cake shakes he had with his dad were fantastic, but that second hand embarrassment still lingered. An entire cake would suffice enough to cure that squirmy feeling.

Taking a large piece into his mouth, Garrett hummed in satisfaction before forking another mouthful. 

“Sister was piiiiiissed,” he said to himself. “I’ll give it two movements before she cuts off his head.”

Opening one of the old books, Garrett began to scan the information into his computer for analysis, fixing any errors he found along the way while still wolfing down the giant cake. He washed it down with sunset tea he had in his gallon-sized insulated flask. Preoccupied with his work, Garrett did not notice when someone entered the grand ballroom. It took him several doboshes before he realized someone had pushed his books and trash to the side and sat next to him. 

“I figured it was you who stole that cake, Webby.”

“Hm?” Garrett looked to his left and noticed Coran was sitting next to him, fiddling with an ancient book. “Hey dad.” He continued to focus on the hologram monitor and slid the cake towards his father.

“This really looks nothing like Heraclean.” Coran stroked his moustache as he analyzed the hieroglyphics. He picked up Garrett’s fork and ate a piece of the cake. “Nothing beats an actual alphabet.”

“You’re telling me,” he snorted, grabbing his fork and eating more of the sweet. “It’s a pain in the quiznaking ass.”

“I can only imagine.” Flipping the book towards his son, Coran pointed at a glyph. “I can’t tell if this symbol is a mouse or a lion.”

“It’s a tiger,” Garrett corrected without even looking at the book. “It’s got a subtle stripe on the side.”

“Is that so?” Coran pulled the book closer. He squinted at the symbol until his face lit up with realization when he finally noticed the stripe. “It is a tiger!”

“So what’s up?” Coran rarely bothered to find him this soon into his research unless someone has asked him. Though on even rarer occasions, his father went to find him because he himself needed something. Or missed him. His dad could get very sentimental sometimes. Not that Garrett minded or anything.

“Sayd wanted to know of your progress.”

Rolling his eyes, Garrett turned to look at Coran. “You’re such a bad liar, dad. Sayd already knows I’m doing my disappearing acts.”

Stuffing his mouth with cake, Coran began to speak trying to hide his nervousness. “D-did I say Sayd? I meant Ganthet! G-Ganthet was looking for you!”

“Ganthet knows too.” He grabbed the fork from his dad’s hand, scooping up some cake. “I told all the scribes, even that old shitter scribe-councilman Appa.”

“C-come on Webby! Why would I lie?”

“Not that you’re lying dad.” Garret played with his moustache-bangs. “But there’s something you want to ask me.”

Coran sighed, holding up his hands in defeat. “I was just going to ask if you could take a break from this.”

Quirking up an eyebrow, Garrett almost dropped his cake at his father’s response. He didn’t really expect that. Sure, Coran scolded him when he didn’t get enough sleep but it was too soon for that lecture. Normally Coran waited three quintants before calling him, and talked his ear off about the ‘good old days’ which always put Garrett to sleep. It was the only way Coran could force him to sleep without physically being there. “Why?”

“Well, I wanted to show Keith the chandelier.”

“Oh.” There was some enthusiasm in his voice. “Yeah, why not?”

“I didn’t want to disturb your research. You always act all grumpy when that happens.”

Garrett pouted. “I do not.”

“Garrett Diogenes Belvedier Smythe, I think after raising you for nineteen deca-phoebs I’d have a pretty good idea on what sets you off.” Ruffling his son’s messy hair, Coran placed Garrett’s head onto his shoulder. He felt his son relax, smiling when he heard a yawn. “You work too hard.”

“I know,” he said with a yawn. He snuggled closer to his father’s shoulder. “I just can’t stop, you know? I gotta know everything that needs to be known. And I gotta know how things work.”

“Perfectly natural, Webl. I was like that at your age.”

With another yawn, and a soft smile, Garrett dozed off. Coran continued to study the hieroglyphics in hopes to understand more of the ancient Heraclean language. His son did so much work all for the sake of discovery and understanding, and didn’t even care about receiving any credit. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree as Coran in his younger days did the same before meeting Alfor and began to branch out more, becoming a jack of all trades. By the way Garrett was going, he was sure his son would unwittingly follow in his footsteps.

Coran knew his son was not the easiest person to approach. Not that he wasn’t friendly or capable of being nice. If anything, Garrett was civil and could pick up on most conversations without a hitch. He loved his son dearly but he wasn’t blind either. Despite his cute looks, Garrett’s bite was worse than his bark. If it wasn’t his deadpan or sarcastic behavior, it was his literal punches. Though rarely the type to resort to violence, his son had put several of peers and an adult in the hospital, very likely that his abusers did not expect the calm and collected sassy child to have so much strength. Most of those times were encouraged by Allura; Alfor had reprimanded her several times for instigating Garrett and apologized on Allura’s behalf to his best friend. 

That rough history with getting into fights wasn’t without provocation either. Coran knew Garrett had the tendency to say what was on his mind without filtering his words, which offended most people. Worst part, it took Garrett many years to realize his blunt personality was what deterred others. It also led his son towards self-isolation. He didn’t have much friends growing up, often spending vargas reading or tinkering with equipment, yet it didn’t put him down even when he discovered not everyone appreciates being called a “blithering fuckhead.” The boy was determined and through his hard work, he was able to graduate from school before the age of fifteen. The real reason wasn’t honorable though. Garrett had told him many times he did it because “I fucking hate school.” Coran recalled the various times he had to speak with the instructors because Garrett was reading another book, absent, or sleeping. Truth be told Coran was annoyed he had to attend those conferences. Weebles made perfect marks even in classes he intentionally skipped.

Completely unnecessary! And Garrett never apologized to his father for it. Instead Webbly would bring him a small pastry and tea, and cuddle up into his lap and talk about a science topic he had read about. Somewhere along the line, the two would later have a perfectly normal dance off.

Coran wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Garrett was his treasure. He was the only thing who kept him grounded and stopped him from falling into despair after Alfor’s death. Allura was also important to him as well, but frankly speaking if he had to choose between his son or his empress, Coran would choose Garrett even if it meant getting executed. 

His son was worth fighting for, and he would do anything for him. 

Reaching for the necklace on Garrett’s neck, Coran fiddled with the pendant before stroking it against this thumb and letting it fall back. That necklace was given to him by Alfor when they were teenagers. Coran later passed it to his son when he was thirteen. Seeing as Garrett rarely took it off, he must have known how much it meant to him, keeping it in pristine condition despite its constant use.

Not wanting to wake his son, Coran sent a text to Keith and waited for the champion to arrive. He knew Empress Allura didn’t want Keith to know about the breeding plan, and with good reason too. Therefore, he naturally felt it was his duty to let Keith know about what to expect when raising an Altean child. Coran was certain Allura would change her mind and allow Keith to become father to his children. With all the playful footsies that accidentally bumped into his own, and the goo-goo eyes they made in secret-yet-no-so-secret, it was only a matter of time before Allura would confide to him a change of plans. Coran may be whimsical, but he was not stupid. He was old enough to know affection when he saw it. Keith was the most obvious with how adamant he was over protecting the empress, and his almost animalistic sense of smell pertaining to Allura. And of course Allura was better at hiding it with all that bravado and ‘I am not afraid to chop off heads’ deal, yet Coran never failed to catch the lingering gazes or her wistful sighs or the soft blushes whenever she believed no one was looking.

Garrett hummed in his sleep, bringing Coran’s full attention back to him. He pat Garrett’s knee before sending another message to Keith and continued with his self-study. Just as he sent the text, the door opened.

Much to Coran’s disappointment, Roland entered the room with Keith following after. It appeared the two of them had not noticed Coran and the pile of trash, books, and the large half-eaten cake as they were preoccupied with staring each other down. Well, Keith was the one doing the glaring. He looked very intimidating wearing that sleeveless shirt showing off his muscles. Roland had an odd expression on his face that Coran could not decipher. Nodding to himself, Coran opted to stay where he was to overhear their conversation. He would hate to wake up Garrett so soon too.

Keith was the first to talk. A scowl on his face. “Why did you follow me here?” 

Roland’s smile went from pleasant to something sinister, but not in the evil way. In a way that made Coran happy he blocked Roland away from Garrett the previous day. “I need to speak with you, champion.”

“Keith’s fine,” he replied with a leer.

“Keith…” the Altean swooned. “That’s a very interesting name. It’s foreign, isn’t it?”

Keith did not answer.

“Well then.” Roland’s face sobered up, smile being replaced with a knowing grin. “Let’s cut to the chase. As you know, I am to marry the most gracious Empress Allura.”

“What of it?” Keith spat with gritted teeth. If Roland was not careful, he’d find himself dead in a ditch somewhere.

“I only want two things.”

Coran leaned forward, cupping his ear to hear better. He cautiously pulled out his right arm to let Garrett rest against his chest. It would have been a rude awakening, and Coran knew how volatile his son could be if he was woken up so abruptly. 

“One: I want to be sure the one who is so close to my betrothed is true in spirit.”

“You saying you don’t trust me?”

“I’m a noble who comes from a good family.” He smiled happily when Keith gave him a confused, yet disgusted look. “My family is part of one of the two houses who guard an important secret regarding the royal family.”

“Why should I care?”

“Because, Keith- Ooh I love the sound of it! Because I have reason to believe someone from said secret had escaped to enter Empress Allura’s championship. I want to make sure that person died or if he’s still alive to be sure he’s not trying to kill my empress.”

“Well you’re an idiot for not even knowing how they look like.”

“Now, now,” Roland soothed. “The bastard could be dead for all we know. Though I am worried since someone like him had very high clearance within the empire. That man was a valuable member.”

Frowning, Keith crossed his arms. “Member of what?”

Roland shrugged. “I can’t really tell you, but rest assured my investigation shall be thorough!”

“Pretty sure he’s dead.” Keith scratched his head. “Most contestants were killed or died afterwards.”

“I suppose.”

An awkward silence filled the room. Coran wanted to get closer, but didn’t want to risk calling any attention to him. It was better they continued to talk and completely ignore the surroundings even though it was sort of obvious there was something going on in the area where him and his son sat. Coran figured the lowered chandelier must have provided enough distraction.

“So…” Keith coughed. The atmosphere was becoming too weird. “What was the second thing you wanted?”

“Oh yes!” Roland’s face brightened, and walked closer to the champion. “Keith. Keith. Keith, please Keith?”

Taking a step back, Keith held his arm out to block out Roland. “What the hell do you want!?”

The man’s face was lecherous. “Step on me.”

“W-what!?”

“Please, I want you to step on me, preferably in the face. Maybe with your naked foot? Ah yes that would be great! I would have asked my empress, honestly I would, but I fear she would have laughed at me.” Roland shook his head. “That’s not what I want. That’s not what works for me! But you!” Roland kneeled on both knees before Keith, clasping his hands to beg. “You wouldn’t scoff or laugh at me! You’d be absolutely disgusted with me! I need that!”

Keith was stupefied. 

“You’re perfect for that, Keith. And honestly so is the Smythe kid. He has even more disgust potential than you! Oh, I can just see him twisting his foot against on my face while calling me a revolting degenerate!” He rubbed his arms as shivers ran down his body with anticipation. “But his father would tear me to pieces if I got too close to him.”

Now it was the time for Coran to intervene. Talk about Keith and Allura all he wanted was fine, but mention Webbles? Outrage! Coran reached for the blanket Garrett had brought, folding it before carefully laying his son’s head and body on it so he could go and defend his honor.

“You’re darn right I would!” Coran puffed as he approached the two younger men. “I don’t want to see your face near my boy!”

Roland was neither shocked nor afraid. His dazzling smile never wavering as an angry father approached him. He stood up from the floor, dusting his knees and bowed. “Coran, it’s wonderful to see you so soon.”

“I can’t say the same!” His finger pointing menacing at the noble. “I don’t recall inviting you here to the grand ballroom! Webby is conducting a serious experiment, so I must ask you to leave- no not you Keith- just Roland.”

“Webby?” the two asked in unison. The two had completely forgotten about their awkward encounter from a few ticks ago. Keith didn’t, but was more than happy to jump into another topic that didn’t involve him stepping on Roland.

“Ah, er...” In his indignation, Coran had thoughtlessly broken a simple yet important rule Garrett had given him. He had never broken that promise except for today. Coran’s protective father persona faltered. A nervous sweat dampening his hair. “Webby is-”

Keith leaned over and noticed Garrett sleeping in the far side. “Is Garrett Webby?”

Coran straightened his back, eye contact anywhere but the two men. “Absolutely not!”

“If I said Webby,” Roland pondered, “would Garrett know what I’m talking about?”

“Of course, he would!” Coran exclaimed with a newfound confidence, brilliantly twirling his moustache. “Webby is Garrett’s holo-computer!”

“Why Webby though?” asked Keith.

“It’s his web of information! Gets it all from a series of tubes and the what-not. It’s all technical stuff you boys wouldn’t know about. That being said!” he said matter-of-factually. “Just don’t ever say ‘webby’ in front of him, got it? Garrett doesn’t want people to know how much he loves his holo-computer. It’s personal after all. King Alfor was the one who gave it to him.”

“Oh that was nice of him,” Roland said with a sweet smile. “King Alfor must have really cared for him.”

Coran squinted at Roland, quick to catch the double meaning. “Not sure what you’re trying to get at.”

The noble was dumbfounded. He turned to look at Keith, who responded with a shrug, and turned right back to Coran. “Nothing?”

“Keep it that way,” answered Coran, pointing his fingers at his eyes before flicking them back at Roland. 

“So…” Keith started. “What did you want to show me, Coran?”

Coran’s face brightened. “Ah yes, Keith! I’ve asked you to come here so that you may observe this glorious chandelier!” The adviser threw up his arms dramatically to present the crystal chandelier, hanging a foot away from the floor. The chandelier seemed to shine brighter after Coran made the gesture. 

“It’s…nice?” Keith said with a shrug. 

“What do you mean nice!?”

“Yeah, are you some sort of bumpkin?!” Roland retorted.

Keith held up his hands in defeat. He had no idea he said something so offensive. It was a beautiful chandelier, yes, however he could not see what the big deal was. It’s nice. That was it. Alteans could be quite touchy whenever their culture was called into question. “I’m not saying it’s ugly.”

“Then let me tell you a bit about this chandelier.” Coran cleared his throat. “This chandelier has been a relic of the Altean royal family long before the Castle of Lions was built. And my boy has found a link to this chandelier to the ancient Heracleans.”

“That’s amazing,” Roland said in awe. “That would date it to almost 60,000 years.”

“Indeed!” Coran approached the chandelier. “Now Keith, you must be wondering ‘why does this thing matter so much?’ Well I’ll tell you!” He grabbed Keith by the arm and pulled him closer to the relic. “Throughout Altea, we have many of these chandeliers housed in temples, and this castle of course. We use this for many ceremonies. This chandelier shines upon a unique light depending on the context, and also on the people. Say for example I got married to you and wanted to get blessed. The light emitted would be far different than if I had married Roland.”

Keith made a disturbed face. He wasn’t grossed out at the idea of marrying Coran, but of Coran marrying Roland. “What does the light do?”

“It’s just a tradition. We see it as a way of coming closer to nature or the gods. The light is a symbol of our individuality or where we stand in life within the context of the ceremony.” Noticing Keith’s confusion, Coran gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, it’s an Altean thing. You kinda have to have been raised with it to know what I mean.”

“Does it only work for ceremonies?” Keith gingerly touched the chandelier, rubbing his hand against its surface. “Is it useless for actually seeing things?”

“Of course,” Coran laughed. “It has a general light. Here, let me find the control panel.”

As Coran went to find the controls, Roland stood next to Keith yet at a distance one would not feel uncomfortable with. He touched the chandelier with a fond smile on his face. “Think about what I told you, okay?”

Keith frowned. “I’m not going to step on you.”

“No…” An unreadable grin. “The other thing.”

“You do your investigating,” Keith said carefully, “and I’ll do my job by being her champion.”

Roland nodded. “Hn.”

A sudden noise distracted the two. From the door came scribe-councilman Appa walking sternly towards the two men.

“Roland,” his voice as severe as his appearance. “I am pleased to see you here.” The older man looked around the room, noticing Garrett sleeping on the floor with a large cake in front and the rest of the trash thrown about. He sneered at the teen. “It seems young Smythe is at it again with his frivolous ‘studies.’ What’s he doing now? Correlating his chandelier’s light to his filthy habits?”

Both Keith and Roland glared at the elder. Keith was surprised Roland would respond like that. The man had just arrived at the Castle of Lions and he was already becoming offended for Garrett. Granted, Keith did not know Garrett all too well either, yet despite the Altean’s penchant for swearing and his sardonic attitude, he felt an instinctive need to protect him.

Appa ignored the menacing looks and continued to approach the two. 

“Champion,” he said with a neutral face, voice less harsh than before. The expression was something unusual for the stern councilman, normally scowling at everyone in sight. If anyone in the know-how had to make a wager, they would assume Appa liked Keith, which in of itself was odd since Appa disliked most people. “You are looking well.”

“Scribe-councilman Appa,” Roland replied. “I am here on behalf of-”

“I know why you’re here,” Appa interrupted. “I am looking for Coran.” He turned to Keith, a smile almost daring to appear on his sour face. “Have you see him, champion?”

“He’s over there trying to turn the chandelier on.” Keith moved his head in the direction of Coran. 

“It is quite a sight to behold, champion,” the elder replied.

Wary with the councilman, Keith did his best to sound as neutral as possible. As long as the old man didn’t insult Garrett or say anything else to upset him, he could pull it off. “Or so I’m told. We don’t have these things on-”

“Earth, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, Earth.”

“Isn’t Earth full of uncivilized Alteanoids who haven’t even learned agriculture?” Roland asked.

If looks could kill, Roland would be a bloody mess on the floor and decapitated. Keith shot daggers in the noble’s direction. Whose side was this idiot on? One minute he was upset with the councilman’s jabs at Coran’s son, the next he was throwing him under the shuttle. How in the world did this dandy even know about Earth in the first place? It wasn’t a colony of Altea until a few years ago.

He had to come up with a story and fast. The last thing Keith needed was Appa getting involved with his past too. 

“When I was a small kid living in the caves…” Keith clenched his eyes shut, making the most pained face he could muster. “I was kidnapped by…” A dramatic hard swallow. “…the Grays…”

Roland’s face fell. “O-oh! I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t know!”

“The Grays are a bothersome bunch,” Appa replied with a nod. “Good to see you made it out well.”

Looking away, Keith rubbed his face in hopes to make the fake trauma seem more believable. “Me too… I am so thankful to the Klingons.”

That should be easy enough to remember.

Roland clapped his hands together and held them against his face in concern. “Klingons are almost as bad as the Galra. No wonder you became the champion.”

The chandelier suddenly emitted a bright light, illuminating the room. The crystal shimmered beautifully with a mesmerizing aura. While the light appeared to be a normal white light, there was something about it that seemed different yet familiar to Keith. He had seen a light like that before, but he wasn’t sure when and where.

Coran sauntered back to the group, eyes widening when he saw Appa but then his jaw dropped when he looked at Keith. By the look of things, Appa and Roland were just as shocked as Coran though a different type of shock. Appa was completely baffled and intrigued. Roland had a knowing look, yet it was tinged with fear. What bothered Coran the most was that his sentiments were the exact same as Roland’s, and that was not a good thing. 

A loud yawn and a couple of crabby moans followed soon after. The shuffling of groggy feet nearing. “Dad, that light’s too bri-Whoa, when’dya get tattoos, Keith? And why is your hair white?”

 

 

“I was supposed to tell you this on your twenty-third birthday, but I really should have told you as soon as you were crowned empress,” Coran whispered. “Please follow me, Allura.”

Allura did as she was told, and followed her retinue into a room. She paused right before entering the room: it was her father’s old study. It had been years since Allura had paid that space a visit. Fond memories came rushing through her mind. The urge to fight the tears and the hard lump in the back of her throat increasing as Coran led her behind his desk. Pulling a fixture, a soft click unlocked a hidden doorway behind the wall.

As the two descended, Coran began to speak before Allura could ask questions. “As you know, this castle was built by my grandfather. You already know about several secret passages, but this one was specifically commissioned by your great-grandmother. Only a few individuals know about its existence.”

“What was it for?”

“You’ll see.” 

Inside were winding steps which to another room. Coran placed his hand over the lock pad, opening the door, revealing a long hall adorned with old armor, weapons, and relics. Allura had never seen such treasures before! While well-versed in Altean history, this was the first time seeing these designs. None of them had every been recorded in any tomes or programs, at least not any she could recall. It was almost as if they never existed, and yet there they were. Lost and yet not quite.

_A secret society?_

“Before the Castle of Lions was built, the previous palace had a secret room for the same purpose.”

“Purpose?”

“For centuries the royal family has harbored a secret. You see, a kingdom doesn’t thrive with a regular military or peaceful negotiations, as you yourself have unfortunately witnessed.”

“I have,” she replied dejectedly.

“Even during our peaceful times, the Altean royalty have depended on an elite group of individuals to do many of their under-the-table dealings. Yes, that does include espionage and assassination.” 

Coran opened the door at the end of the hall. There was nothing particularly special about the room. The hall had been far more impressive with its display of secret antiques, and this room was just plain boring. It was a large chamber with chairs and a long table. That was it.

 _So much for a surprise_ Allura thought, unimpressed by the anticlimactic room. Was it wrong to expect more?

Sensing her disappointment, Coran’s serious face disappeared with a short chuckle. “Your father thought the same thing too.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she countered.

“No worries. The purpose of this room is to hold meetings with the special individuals, or to strategize in secrecy without anyone interrupting. These people come from all sorts of backgrounds, not all necessarily Altean. The only thing they need is their undying loyalty for Altea and its ruler, and to be an incredibly skilled fighter.”

Feeling lightheaded, Allura reached for a chair. Coran stepped in and pulled up the chair to let her sit. She wasn’t sure if it was her pregnancy or the fact that her father had harbored a black ops group despite his constant preaching for pacifism. “Why didn’t you or father tell me about this?”

Coran sighed. “You weren’t supposed to find out until you were twenty-three, or at least married. Whichever came first. You father made me promise not to say anything. I think…” A thoughtful pause. “I think he didn’t want you to know about this secret until you were old enough to handle its weight. No matter what you may think, this sort of thing weighs very heavily on the soul. Every assassination, every indirect death, every person hurt is solely your responsibility. I don’t think Alfor wanted you to ever experience it.”

“And yet I have, Coran.” She turned to look at the man with hard eyes. “So why tell me now? I am not twenty-three yet, and I am still unmarried until a few more movements. What happened?”

“Allura-”

“I command you to tell me!”

He sat beside his empress, unable to look at her in the eye. Allura was ready to lash out if he did not answer her quick enough.

“The Order of the White Lion…” he started. “It is a secret that is guarded by the royal family itself, and select members from two houses from Cryo. And that’s all. Not even the military knows about this. Not even General Hys.”

Cracking her thumbs, Allura leered at Coran, silently pressing for more answers. 

“I have reason to believe one of the knights are here in the castle.”

“Explain yourself.”

“A knight is a member of the Order, specifically the ones who do the dirty work.”

“And what makes you think there is one in my midst? What are you hiding, Coran?”

“It’s not hiding,” he corrected. “I am a member of one of the two houses who know of the Order. House Smythe of Cryo. And what triggered me to believe there is a knight is the presence of Roland. I believe he is from the other house. Please Allura, what house does he hail from?”

“But he is from the Eastern Chemara Plains what does-”

“It’s clearly a cover! I tell Garrett our family comes from the ECP all the time but that’s just to throw off suspicion! And no, he doesn’t know anything, at least not yet. I can’t… I can’t tell him.”

Allura hummed in response. She took a deep breath to clear her thoughts, but couldn’t because they were too jumbled. Was she at risk to be assassinated? Would she? Weren’t the knights on the royal family’s side? Was this knight someone who had defected? And why Roland- yes why Roland?

“Coran,” she said. “Roland is from House Gradam.”

“As I feared.” A deep, weary sigh escaped his lips. “House Gradam is the other one who knows of the secret.”

“Is…Is Roland the knight?”

“No,” he shook his head. “He’s looking for the knight though.”

“Is the knight going to kill me?”

Shaking his head again, Coran reached for Allura’s hand and squeezed it. He was finally able to look at her in the eye without any hesitation, a confident fire in his eyes. “I have a strong feeling in my gut that the knight is not here to hurt you.”

“Why do you say that?” Allura squeezed back. “Do you know their identity?”

“I do not,” he said simply. “But knowing what I know about the Order of the White Lion, their priority would most likely to protect you and the future heir to the Altean throne. You carry more than just a life, but a legacy, Allura. The Order of the White Lion may only take command from the current ruler, but they have sworn to protect the future of your family.”

“I see…” Allura held her hand against her womb. “They belong to me then?”

“That they do,” Coran nodded. “I promise I’ll tell you more about your duties and responsibilities regarding the Order.”

“As I expect you to,” she whispered, thoughts still on her unborn child. It was frightening to know that an unchecked deadly assassin was close by, watching, waiting for an opportunity to lash out. But not against her, she reminded herself, yet the prospect of the knight defecting to murder her and her baby didn’t leave her mind. 

_I’ll have to increase the security. Oh and I’ll have Keith close by! He’ll protect me and ou- my baby! Wait!_

“Didn’t you say something earlier about Keith and Roland?” Allura pulled her hand away from Coran. “I had specifically told Roland to not bother Keith! Why did he speak to him?”

“Well they ran into one another by accident and well…” 

“Out with it, Coran.” Allura groaned. “I’m not here to play games. I’m already nervous enough about this knight prancing about. And I want even more information by the way. I’m not going to stay ignorant of these secrets!”

“Yes, yes, my empress, it’s just that…” Coran’s eyes shifted, swallowing nervously. “This is really awkward to say.”

“Just say it.” Completely unamused.

“…Roland asked Keith to step on him.”

“…”

“…”

“…what?”

“It’s what you heard,” Coran shrugged hesitantly. “I think Roland has really taken a liking to Keith, just like Appa has.”

“Wait…” A sudden realization came when Coran mentioned the councilman’s name. The issue with Keith and Roland’s questionable kinks would have to be addressed another day. It was too weird for her to deal with right now. “Didn’t you say something about the council? Is Appa involved?”

Coran’s expression turned serious. “He is, and I know he is going to search for the knight. I believe found evidence, and he’s going to use it against you. I have a feeling he’ll tell the others as well. You and I both know councilwoman Krona found out about Keith’s heritage just a few days ago. Who’s to say she won’t spread that information?”

“Who’s to say indeed…” Tenting her fingers, Allura began to think of a way to shut them down. A council is important, but how important were they really? They held her down, almost as if they stopped her from ruling as she deemed fit and went with they way _they_ felt was the right way. They made these silly rules and regulations, often citing “think of what the public would say, my empress!” Well guess what, who cares about the public? Was she not the Empress of Altea? The very empress who fought against the Galra and liberated not only her planet but also the others the Galra had terrorized? She was a woman of action and conviction. They were not the ones who guided her during the war. It was her and her love for her father and planet, and the need to punish the Galra which led her to victory. 

_If they think they can control me with blackmail they have another thing coming. No one commands me. The empire belongs to me, the rightful heir of Altea._

“We cannot let the people know about the Order, Coran.”

Coran gave Allura a knowing smile, seeming satisfied with her answer. Reaching for his pockets, he removed a small box. He placed it in front of Allura, giving her nod to open it. Inside the box was a black pill.

“May I suggest using the vanta toxin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gradam is the name of the castle in Golion!  
> And there is a reason why Coran calls his son all these "web" names.
> 
> Comments and kudos always welcomed!


	5. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the council finally disposed, Allura has one less thing to worry about, but now she has an even bigger task at hand: restoring the Order of the White Lion.  
> Unsatisfied with the sudden resignation of a certain councilman, Coran begins to do his own investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time. I am so sorry for the wait. I feel like I've been in a funk and the past few seasons before season 7 didn't quite get my noggin' joggin' if that makes any sense. In any case, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it and made notes. Like two pages of notes to get the stuff nailed down.
> 
> This story is closely tied to Hideous Ears. Please read this one if you are interested. This covers Keith's past and future.

One by one the council people fell. Empress Allura smirked into her chalice, imbibing the untainted drink. This is exactly how it should be. No one else to interfere with her decisions. Altea was her planet to rule, and she would lead her people to bring forth peace and prosperity to the universe the way she saw fit. Her children would do the same as well.

And there was the case of the Order of the White Lion. They were at her beck and call to do her dirty work in the shadows while her image remained immaculate. Whoever created such an organization should be given the highest honors.

“I know,” Keith whispered into her ear.

Shivers ran throughout her entire body as his warm breath caressed her ear. The heat spreading to her loins. “After you take care of the council, come to my room.”

Inhaling her scent, Keith gasped, nostrils flaring. The urge to take Allura against the wall becoming stronger by the tick.

“I wish you would,” she purred, almost reading his mind, except Keith made his desires obvious. The impressive bulge he was sporting might have been a clue.

He blurted, “I think I hear Hys calling me. I-I have to go work.”

Allura showered Keith’s neck with kisses. “As you should, my champion. Oh but…” She sucked on a spot right below his jawbone, teeth grazing the skin. The taste of his sweat and lust flooding sending her heart into a frenzy. She pulled away from his grasp, blinking innocently. “Don’t take _too_ long.”

Never Allura been so happy to see Keith run off to finish a job. She waltzed back into her room, removing her clothes, and threw them haphazardly on the floor. She eyed her various perfume bottles on the vanity and thought about her previous experience with Keith. A wily grin grew as she formulated a plan.

Not a plan.

A game.

Allura will play a game with her beautiful champion. It was only fair considering how much time it’s been taking him to return to their bedchamber, or rather it unquestionably fair to do this since she had expected Keith to forgo his duties and carry her away into the room and fuck her like the beastly Galra that he is.

Her flirting should have been enough to imply the opposite of what she said, but her intentions went over Keith’s head.

Oh, but imagine how incredible it would be for Keith to take her in the very room where the council laid dead! If it weren’t for Coran and Hys being present, she would have commanded Keith to do so. He would rip off her blouse to expose her breasts and bury his face between them. Suckle on a nipple, then give the other the same attention as he pulled out his hard cock. He’d tease her clit by rubbing the ridged edge and bumps against her panties until they were soaked, then push her on the table and fuck her on her side, tits swaying up and down on the cool slab. And he wouldn’t stop. He won’t stop. Allura wouldn’t allow him to stop until she was satisfied.

Come inside? Yes, he’d come inside again and again. The warm Galra seed filling her to the brim. Excess amount spilling out of her pussy each time he thrust.

“You’d better get pregnant again,” he would growl into her ear after releasing another load.

Didn’t matter if it was impossible, Keith would say it anyway, and Allura would be more than willing to have his second child. If the two were caught by guards or Coran or Hys or Roland or anyone for that matter, they wouldn’t care and continue until the two had their fill.

Laying on her bed, Allura massaged her clit in desperation and added a few fingers into her cunt for good measure.

_Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! He’d better hurry up!_

 

 

“Take off your pants.”

“Hell no.”

“I just wanna see if you have those marks on your legs.” Garrett lunged at Keith’s waist, missing by a longshot as Keith had been purposely avoiding him. The teen gave chase, missing again and again by Keith’s swift dance-like moves. “I don’t give a shit about your purple dick.”

“Garrett-” Keith warned. He held out his arm, stepping back every time Garrett made a sudden movement. “I’ll tell Allura!”

“Sister knows how I science so it’s fine.” He tried again and failed.

“Garrett back off or I’ll tell Roland!’

Garrett gave Keith a hard stare, eyebrows and mouth shaping into a cringe. “Why the fuck should I care about him?”

“He wants you to,” Keith narrowly evaded Garrett’s next attempt, “step on him.”

“Wow what a weirdo,” he said blankly, not at all fazed by the comment, only focused on his task. “Can’t sister do it instead?”

“It’s…” Skip, jump, twirl. “…complicated.”

“Then you do it! Roland’s got the boner for you! Come on hold still! I wanna see!”

“No!” Twirl. “No on both!” He pushed the boy away. “Fucking stop!”

Almost slipping, Garrett managed to regain his footing and continued his chase. “I’m not going to ruggle your wimple!”

“Argh!” Keith exhaled in frustration. “Just look it up on your Webby!”

Garrett froze, mortified. “What. Did. You. Say!?”

“Webby! Your Webby!” Keith shrugged his hands. He kept a distance away from Garrett in case he recovered. “You know that computer thing you have? Coran said you called it Webby!”

Without a word, Garrett straightened his posture and turned his back to Keith. Taking long strides, Garrett reached for the exit, disabled the automatic sensors with a few taps on the door’s lock-pad, grabbed the door from the slot, and slammed the sliding door shut ultimately breaking it. The last thing Keith heard was “DAD! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!” echoing down the halls.

Keith sighed in relief, waiting several doboshes before leaving the room. He glanced at the sides and behind the broken door and stepped into the halls. He didn’t expect Garrett to ambush him like that. Allura had been expecting him in her bedroom after he, Captain Raible, and General Hys had the bodies of the dead council taken away. It wouldn’t surprise him if Coran were next to approach him. Ever since the chandelier incident of two quintants ago, Keith had been on edge. So far it had been radio silence from the witnesses. Everyone save Garrett, but he didn’t count since the boy had a penchant for poking and prodding in the name of science and history. Who would have thought saying Webby would be enough to deter the scribe so abruptly?

One left turn and a passage and Keith would be home free from any potential distractors. He thought too soon when he noticed scribe-councilman Appa leaning against a pillar, bright lights shining over him in plain sight. The man had missed his appointment with death is seemed. Not a good thing either.

“A word, champion,” said Appa, looking at his nails then flicked his middle finger’s nail with his thumb.

Keith bit his lip. Appa was not much to say anything to him or anyone outside of the scribes for that matter, yet Keith had a feeling he knew what this was about. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I was searching in the library recently and have stumbled upon something you may find interesting.” Keith lifted his eyebrows twice. “Apprentice Smythe tells me you like to read novels?”

“I’d say Garrett is beyond that level considering he’s a crusader for knowledge.” Giving Appa a once over, Keith folded his arms tightly. “I didn’t know you were his lord.”

Appa bobbled his head. “Lord? You exalt me. I’m merely an expert… collector, savvy Keith?

Feeling his temperature rise, Keith turned his head away and bit his left thumb. “Did you have some recommendations or what? I’m busy.”

“I found a book on tea. You see her majesty is quite fond of it, particularly the black desert rose tea, though she’ll never admit it.”

“That’s from Daibazaal.”

“Indeed,” Appa nodded. “She has exotic tastes, which is to be expected as she has been exposed to many cultures as a child. I enjoy the flavor as well, although it bleeds through and oversaturates if you combine it with other leaves.”

He turned his face back to Appa. It was expressionless, zero hint of malice in his eyes. Keith was in over his head. He had to leave. Right now.

As he took a step back, Appa reached out and grasped his right shoulder. “Experts say it’s best to add a quarter of the black desert rose for a more nuanced flavor. It’s enough to bring out the notes of other leaves, yet the hint gives the tea a subtle depth.”

Shoulders relaxed. “Really?” Keith placed his hand over Appa’s, squeezing the hand ever so slightly. “Last I heard studies say half a portion of black desert rose goes well with juniberry. You… rarely know?”

“Oh Keith? Keith! KEITH! HEY KEITH!” boomed a loud, unwelcoming voice.

“You’re a pest.” Appa shot daggers at Roland as he calmly lowered his arm. “Your mother should have used protection.”

“A thousand pard-”

“I don’t need your apologies, buffoon of a Gradam.” The scribe adjusted his robes sharply. His old, yellowed eyes saturated with disdain.

Keith took the opportunity to slip away and return to Allura’s chambers. Why Roland would approach him after the lecture Allura gave him was beyond his comprehension, but he was grateful it happened. Not that the conversation with Appa was unpleasant, it was the opposite and he learned something new. But honestly Keith had a place to be and a horny empress to pleasure if the smell coming from Allura’s room were any indication.

As soon as he entered antechamber, Keith kicked off his boots, unbuckling his armor as he desperately reached for the door’s lock panel, the smell of arousal and sex overflowing his senses. Never had a door felt this frustrating as it kept rejecting his entry. Using his teeth, he ripped the glove from his hand and banged it against the panel again.

“Where were you!?” Allura scolded from her bed, fingers in between her folds. She was naked save a pink garter belt.

“Roland stopped me.” Keith flung his shirt across the room, and almost tripped removing his pants and underwear. “Go hang him later.”

Keith pulled Allura’s hand away and licked her pussy soaked fingers clean before diving into her crotch. She smelled incredible! And the moans coming from her only encouraged him more as he sucked around her wet, soft folds.

“As much as I like your tongue,” Allura replied, pulling Keith’s face from her groin, “I need you to properly fuck me.”

“You want it that bad?” he smirked.

Returning the grin, Allura lifted his chin with her finger. “If it were up to me,” she crooned, “I would have had you fuck me on the table while everyone choked on their poison.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“You and I both know you’d be too embarrassed to perform in such circumstances.”

He wore the cockiest smirk. “Is that a challenge?”

“Are you in the mood for a slaughter? Or are you going to do something the ache between my legs?” Grabbing his leaking cock, Allura hummed gleefully at Keith’s hisses. “That’s so sexy.”

Head rolled back, Keith moaned. “What is?”

“You being so willing to take me in front of my enemies.” She pushed Keith onto his back, hovering on all fours. “What would you do to me?”

“I’d, ah.” The warmth of her sex enveloped over his dick. He thrusted into her, earning a high-pitched moan from his lover. “I’d fuck you standing up.”

“What else?” Allura held down Keith’s hips in place as she rode up and down his thick, bumped shaft. Every single notch and protrusion filling her up her insides. “Sounds kind of boring.”

“I’m the one standing,” he reached for her hips. One hand on her hip, the other on her meaty thigh then caressing towards her vulva. “You’re so wet…” Awed by her arousal, Keith massaged her nub with his thumb. “You’d be riding me backwards. I’d holding you while I fucked you. Your legs wide open.”

Gasping, “And my breasts?”

“Always in the open. Bouncing everywhere while I just go at it. You’d scream and ask for more.”

“Did I cum?”

“You came twice by this time.” He moved a hand to fondle her breast. His fingers on her clit moving faster. “And you keep begging for my cum. That’s all you can think about.”

“It feels so good! Aah I’m cumming, Keith!” Her hips slammed into his, body gone taut as she came. Before she could recover, she found herself on her back, legs bent over towards her shoulders. Keith wasted no time and entered her again.

She was so slick and feeling so good. Keith rammed into her repeatedly, letting his lust take over. Allura wanted this. He wanted this. They wanted to be covered in their passion and not give a care for the consequences. Just to be inside his lover, feeling that delicious heat and her muscles squeezing his cock. It was a feeling like no other. He could do this all day, and he was pretty sure Allura could too. 

They kissed, tongues wrestling eager to taste one another, the drool dripping from their mouths.

Thrusting over and over until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Keith came hard inside Allura, triggering another orgasm from his beloved. His body rigid as another wave of semen came pouring into her, sending her body into a state of blissful pleasure.

As Keith continued to ride off his ecstasy, Allura cupped his face into his hands and smothered it with kisses. This always seemed to relax him during his long orgasms. When his tension eased, he collapsed on top of Allura, panting and reaching for her lips. The two kissed until they caught themselves.

“I really needed that,” exhaled Allura. She played with Keith’s hair and planted a kiss on top of his head. “Thank you.”

 

 

“I did what you asked,” grumbled Roland. “Not sure if it’s going to be worth her ire though.”

“Nonsense!” exclaimed Coran. “The empress needs you for appearances. Besides, don’t you want her to step on you?”

Roland frowned. “I want disgust, not ire. Big difference.”

“I frankly don’t care. Just keep away from my boy and it’ll be fine.” Coran scratched at his moustache. “So what did Appa say to Keith?”

“They were talking about tea.” Roland shrugged. “If Keith is the knight, whom I still suspect, I can’t really tell.”

Coran slapped his forehead, groaning, “Don’t tell me they didn’t teach you anything about code.”

“Then I won’t?”

“Why did you tell me?!” Coran stamped his foot. “Listen you!” Pointing an accusing finger at the younger Altean and ready to explode. Coran had an empress to teach about the Order with its rules, responsibilities, and idiosyncrasies, now this new comer? This was not in his job description. He was a Smythe handler! He had no jurisdiction whatsoever with Gradam affairs! “I don’t know the interworkings of House Gradam, but I don’t want to think they’re stupid enough to send a rookie handler!”

Roland scratched the back of his head. “I just got assigned to this, Coran. There’s a lot of stuff I’m still learning about the Order. Give me a break!”

“Do you recall anything then? Did any of those two use specific words? Anything familiar? Come on, Roland, anything!?”

“This is too much to handle…” sighed Roland. “The only reason they sent me here for this investigation was because I fit the bill for eligible handsome bachelor. I don’t really- Wait a tick!”

“Did you finally remember something?” Coran was excited.

“Is Garrett an apprentice?”

“Of all the stupi- WAIT! Did you say-”

A loud bang followed by a furious, “DAD!”

“Oh no no no no no no,” Coran shook his head. Of all the moments! Why did Garrett have the knack to find him anywhere? “This can’t be happening! Not today Garrett!” He turned his head to face his fuming son. “Daddy’s working on something very important right now!”

“You promised you wouldn’t tell!” Garrett balled his fists, tears threatening to fall. The audacity of the entire situation sent his entire world crumbling. “How could you!?”

“I’ve done nothing wrong!” Coran flinched at his son’s sniffle. Wanting to hug his son to send the hurt away, he simply could not. It wasn’t the time to coddle; it was time for business. “And whatever I did do wrong can wait!”

Garrett responded with a pout.

“Aww, he’s adorable!”

“You stay out of this!” they cried in unison with Garrett ending the sentence with a “vapid fucker!”

“Garrett, language.”

“Well you seem to be so fucking busy talking to this dumbass of a Gradam.” He rolled his eyes, glaring at Roland, then pointing his hand dramatically at his father. “Clearly you’re having the time of your quiznaking life.” Hand pressed over his heart. “No time for the poor child you’ve slighted.”

“Garrett Diogenes Belvedier Smythe go to your room!”

“Fine!” Flailing his arms, stomping until he reached the door. “Don’t come crying to me when your pudding goes missing!”

“Hey are you an apprentice scribe?” yelled Roland.

“Don’t insult me,” Garrett sneered as he left the room. “Round two is later, dad.”

“Right, right,” Coran waved his hand weakly with a weary sigh. “Don’t eat too much pudding now. It’ll spoil your dinner.”

The two remained silent for a while. Roland twiddled his thumbs and looked around, unsure what to ask. Truthfully, he did want to ask Coran more questions. He was laughably unqualified to be a handler for this investigation, which he begrudgingly knew. Very new to the Order and his job as a handler, it almost felt like he was purposely chosen to be the dummy consort for Empress Allura. If only he could recall the knight his uncle had spoken to…

“Coran?” he mumbled.

“Hm?”

“I know you’re not going to tell me, but I may as well ask.”

Coran rubbed his temples. “Carry on.”

“Did you and Appa talk about anything after you kicked us all out in the grand ballroom?”

“Ah.” Coran had a knowing smile. “You’re right: I can’t tell you. But rest assured everything will be alright.”

Truth be told, Appa didn’t give Coran the opportunity to speak privately, and slipped from the scene as the others had left. This action worried him. With seeing the markings on Keith, it would lead to Appa doing some research on the matter. As much as he didn’t care for the scribe-councilman, the older man shared the same passion for knowledge as Garrett, and if he were anything like Garrett, which he is, he would stop at nothing to figure out the meaning behind the sigils and the white hair. Coran would not allow that. As a lead handler for the Order of the White Lion it was is duty to maintain order and eliminate anyone who poses a threat to the organization. The sly dog thought he had the upper hand by avoiding him and suddenly calling quits as a councilman, but Coran knew his silence would falter and get in contact with Keith, and that is where Roland would come in to assist. And he gained valuable information despite Roland’s poor information retention.

Sooner or later the two will be alone and Coran will make that sour man swallow the vanta toxin. There is no room for such people in Empress Allura’s future, especially one who gives his son an unnecessarily hard time for being himself.

“It just seems weird that Appa would quit his position like that though.”

“To be fair, Appa hardly did anything council related.” Tapping his chin, Coran paced around the future consort. The less Roland knows the better, and whoever chose Roland for his role certainly knew this would be an advantage. After he deals with Appa, this unknown handler, perhaps knight, would be his next target. Though this one would require help from a higher place. “His passion was always for research and maintaining the libraries and archives, so it made sense. He rarely put in a vote, and when we forced him out of the library for a vote, he’d grump about and say he votes on whatever Alfor is voting for.”

“I see,” he answered, unconvinced by Coran’s response. It seemed too manufactured, even for someone as new to handling as him. Regardless, Roland would continue to search for the aberrant knight. “Can I go now? I’m pretty sure Keith is going to rat me out to the empress, and I need to mentally prepare myself for it.”

“Before I forget… Roland, who said apprentice?”

“Appa did.”

“Very well, do you recall anything else?”

“They talked about Garrett being an apprentice and tea. Something about experts.”

With a nod, Coran waved his hand at Roland. “You may go now.”

 

 

He wasn’t in his room because he wanted to be there. If it were up to Garrett, he’d be in his favorite corner in the library surrounded by ancient tomes with pillows and sunset tea. Instead he was in the middle of his room, surrounded by ancient tomes with a lot more pillows than allowed in the library, blankets, chairs, a mattress to fortify his makeshift fort, and pudding. There was no more sunset tea, so Garrett settled in for twilight instead.

That dirty, rotten ass clown champion. Why couldn’t he let him see his legs? It wasn’t that weird of a request. He could keep his undergarments on. Garrett didn’t give a shit over his Galra cock. But had to cry and whine and play hide-and-go-kill-science. And to top it off, Keith went and said a no-no word, and Coran flat out refused to entertain him then and there. None of this was fair at all, though as consolation he did manage to discreetly take a loose hair from Keith and get double portion of pudding.

Black hair turning white under the chandelier’s light. Quite an interesting effect! When Keith pulled himself away from the light, his tattoos disappeared, and his hair turned back to normal. Garrett wondered if the Altean markings under his eyes were also tattoos or if they were hidden markings reacting to the light. This guy was a mystery indeed.

Removing the hair from a vial, Garrett placed it into a scanner to analyze its contents. The computer screen beeped softly to report its findings for the pictures he took of the tattoos. He almost missed his opportunity with Keith freaking out and he himself being groggy, but thankfully his holo-computer bracelet controls had that function using his thumb to take secret photos. Hopefully the database would be able to figure out the origins of the patterns.

**Inconclusive data.**

“Why the fuck not?” Garrett typed more information.

**Patterns not found in Altean databases.**

“Fucking shit.”

“Gare?” a feminine voiced called from outside the fort’s blanketed entrance. “May I come in?”

Typing in commands, Garrett sighed. “Come on in, Lulu.”

Parting the blankets, Empress Allura crawled into the fort and sat across from her brother. Various floating Olkari cube lights and his holo-computer illuminated the interior, creating a warm cozy atmosphere. She was grateful she wore pants instead of a dress for this visit. “This is so nostalgic,” she said with a smile, touching an Olkari cube with her finger.

“I was sent to my room.” Garrett closed his computer screen. At least this would provide some distraction while his computer analyzed the hair and tattoo patterns some more.

“I can tell.” Allura winked. “You’re such a weblum child.”

“Ugh don’t you fucking start.” He poured himself more tea and sipped. “Whaddya want?”

“I need you to do some research for me.”

“Can it wait? I’m doing something here already.”

“Oh?” Allura wiggled an eyebrow in amusement. “I wonder if we are researching the same thing-”

“We’re not,” he said bluntly. “Okay give it here. What is it?”

“I need you to research the term ‘black desert rose.’”

Garrett squinted at Allura. “That’s arbitrary even for you.”

“Just do it,” she pouted. She grabbed at Garrett’s tea cup and sampled the drink. “Twilight tea?”

“They ran out of sunset.” He took the cup, his sleeve slipping past his left elbow revealing an old, wrinkled burn scar extending towards his mid forearm and disappearing into the robes of the upper arm. “So look up everything about it?

Allura’s gaze shied away from his arm and nodded. “Yes. Everything.” Blue eyes shifting to the scar, then hyperfocused towards Garrett’s face. She prayed Garrett didn’t notice her response. “I’m hoping to gain some information before the wedding.”

He pulled over his sleeve nonchalantly. “You trying to get him to jump your bones or something?”

“That’s none of your business.” She frowned. A small blush stained her cheeks. “It’s just a game.”

Garrett chuckled. “A game she says!” He put the cup down and howled, holding one arm over his stomach, the other to point at his sister. “You have no shame and I love it!”

“You know me.” She rolled her eyes playfully. Blinking, the smile faded; her face turned solemn. “Speaking of wedding… Gare…”

“Please tell me I’m not invited. I got a lot of reading to do, and I’m sure Appa is going to keep me busy now that he quit being a councilman.” He twirled his moustache-bangs. “Crazy that he didn’t croak, huh?”

“Appa won’t interfere with me,” she said cooly. “And if he does, well, I’m sure you know what will happen.”

“I mean you killed your cogs because you were bored.” Garrett ate a spoonful of his father’s pudding. “I can already imagine what would happen if that asshole looked at you the wrong way. But I doubt it. Like, has he even spoken to you before?”

“Hardly, which is why I am certain he won’t be a bother.” Allura stood quiet. She stared at her hands and swallowed hard before continuing. “About the wedding, Garrett…”

“Cold feet?”

“Be serious!” she hissed. Garrett jumped. “A guest confirmed their arrival.”

He sighed, not in lament but in frustration. His sister was being vague on purpose and he had no idea why. Actually, he had an idea, but he could very well be wrong. Though it’s perhaps not her place to talk about the guest in question. Allura wasn’t looking at him either.

“I’ll ask dad, sister.”

“Yes, well, I…” The empress fidgeted. Her hand unconsciously reaching for the blanketed door. “I hope you give me those results soon.”

“I will,” he whispered, a soft smile forming. “I got your back.”

After Allura left, Garrett turned his holo-computer back on and started researching the term his sister asked. Obviously she was going to use that flower to torture her champion. That talk about the Galra olfactory wasn’t a coincidence and neither was this. He spent another varga typing away before another person entered his room.

“Can I come in Webby?”

“Hell no.” Coran crawled into the fort anyway. Garrett typed away as if no one were there. “I said no.”

“It was an honest mistake!” On his knees, Coran clasped his hands together, shaking them back and forth. All he wanted was his son’s forgiveness! If he had to grovel, then by Groggery the Great he would! “You have to forgive me!”

Garrett crossed his arms. “And why should I?”

“Because I love you?”

“Not good enough.”

“It was Roland’s fault!” Coran cried figuratively and literally. “He was talking to Keith when he’s not allowed to!” Had he not been distracted by Roland’s perversion, he wouldn’t have faltered and not accidentally said **the only thing** Garrett forbade him to do. “I even told them it was the name of your computer! That’s got to count for something, right?!”

Web, Weebles, Webby, Weeb, Weebl, and the many variants were a secret between the father and son. As far as Coran knew, Garrett didn’t mind being called said names so as long as it were only Coran doing it. Anyone else would receive a tongue lashing or an actual punch if Garrett was feeling exceptionally irritated, or if Allura cheered him on. But that never came to be as Coran kept his promise to never utter those words if anyone were present. Brash and aloof as Garrett was, Coran knew his boy did care about his reputation. Such a cute and silly nickname to the stone-faced, yet absolutely gorgeous weblum child would tear the boy’s feelings in pieces.

Garrett took a hard look at his father’s teary eyes. Was he looking for insincerity in his father’s words or searching in his own heart for the capacity to forgive him? Coran prayed _Ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease_ over and over as perspiration dripped from every pore. His son leaned forward, getting on all fours at the same level as his father’s posturing. The same hard, bored expression in both his eyes and face. He crawled closer and closer, the unchanging face peering into Coran’s core.

Coran gulped when Garrett’s face was but a few millimeters away from his own. He clamped his eyes shut in anticipation for whatever punishment Garrett had waiting for him.

_Thump!_

Two foreheads met.

Garrett’s face remained the same, blinked, eyes sparkling, and then sniggered.

Coran returned the laughter as he reached for his son’s face and kissed his forehead.

“But for real, don’t do that again,” Garrett said seriously, the mirth still in his eyes.

The two laughed harder.

As if on autopilot, Coran sat back, legs crossed, and patted a pillow he placed on his lap. “Don’t worry: I won’t ever do that again.” He guided Garrett’s head onto the pillow. “Roland or no Roland.”

“Nice save with the computer thing though.”

Coran beamed. “It was a nice save, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t mean to kill the mood or anything.” Garret’s smile disappeared. “Sister said something about a person for the wedding or something?”

“I wish you’d pay more attention to detail,” Coran sighed, shaking his head.

“Someone said yes to her wedding and that they’re arriving? And sister was like, ‘ _So um yeah, no Garrett, I need to tell you something about this someone and it’s a big ass deal, but I can’t because reasons so yeah, but you still, like, have to go to the wedding maybe_ ’. And I fucking said, ‘I’ll ask my dad.’”

Translating that into proper Altean, Coran stroked his chin in thought. “She doesn’t want you see a guest? Who cou- Oh.”

“Oh?”

“No use hiding it.” Fingers entwined, curling the locks of his son’s fluffy hair, Coran took a deep breath before continuing. “I believe Allura is referring to your cousin Larmina.”

“Oh…” Garrett closed his eyes. “I think I’m old enough though.”

“It’s not about age, Garrett.”

“The last time she saw me was when I was twelve and she freaked the fuck out. I’m nineteen now so it’s okay?”

“Perhaps,” he said sadly. “I know you want to see her again. But we have to go at her pace.”

“I know, I know.” He twiddled his thumbs. “So am I not invited? Because I can take a hint you know.”

“Of course you’re invited!”

“I don’t wanna go,” he deadpanned. “The wedding is a farce. I don’t have time for stupid shit like that. Besides I have a lot of work to do at the library plus my personal research.”

“Is Appa giving you a lot to do?”

Garrett scratched his head. “Not really?” He paused then shrugged. “He’s avoided me these past two quintants. Did you tell him to lay off or something?” A frown. “I can handle it, dad.”

“Just asking is all, Weebles.”

 

 

One movement had passed since her conversation with Garrett. Allura had not seen the young scribe since that time. As much as she wanted to search for him herself, other obligations had a bigger priority. Per Captain Raible, Appa had been tending to his usual scholarly duties. So far he had not communicated to anyone regarding the fate of his former council members or anything about Keith’s Galra heritage. This of course was assuming Krona had told him about Keith. If he knew, the elder showed no sign of disapproval and carried on with his work.

Roland received a boot to the face for speaking to Keith without her permission. Evident by the misery and painful groaning, her future consort had not enjoyed any of it. Her temper flared as he had the absolute gall to ask her if she would please give Keith the permission to wipe his feet on his back and twist the ball of his foot on his head. A tromp to his left hand was her answer to his request. If he thinks he can go on and ask for her most gracious permission to fool around with her champion, the fool had another thing coming! He was lucky he was a handsome man or else she wouldn’t put up with his behavior. At this point Allura wasn't sure if it was his boldness or his resilience to punishment upset her the most.

Keith continued his duties, though his demeanor was subdued, pensive, much like he had been when she studied his responses over a movement ago. General Hys reported Keith reading novels in the gardens for vargas on end before returning to his station. Another interesting piece of information was Keith frequenting the music room and playing the violin. Hys had seen him do this during the few quintants the rocks fell from the sky.

Painting her toe nails on the bed, Allura didn’t look up when Keith entered the bedroom, then to the bathroom, and finally lay on the bed naked after his shower. He was silent.

The empress recalled the latest information from Hys regarding Keith and his actions. In his most recent visit to the music room, Hys witnessed the small tears Keith shed during his practice session. What he was sad about, Allura was unsure, but nonetheless it was rather surprising to her.

“You look worried,” she said bluntly, still fixated on her task. It was tiring to be playing this cat-and-mouse game with him. Today she did not have the patience for this sort of thing. Not that she had a terrible day. In fact, the day had been pleasant especially after her prenatal check-up with the royal physician. Developing accordingly to the embryotic milestones, no signs of any physical defects were present. Her baby was healthy and getting bigger! What more could she ask for? Now if Keith was going to have a tantrum over her questions, then let him be. He could sleep in the antechamber for all she cared!

“I’m thinking about my dad.”

_This is a first!_

“Is he well?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, well I hope so. I haven’t seen him since the tournament.”

Ah yes there it was! Her champion had finally begun to talk of his past! Her heart pounded, hand faltering causing the nail polish to slide against her skin. Stay calm, stay calm. Keith could probably smell the excitement if Allura were not careful.

The way he had spoken of his father seemed like he passed away, but the way he mentioned him now? He’s alive? Well that’s a good thing after all. Allura’s memories of her father were fond and full of love. She hoped Keith had the same sort of memories for his father.

“Have you gotten in touch with him?”

Keith rolled to his side to face Allura. “No, but I know I should.”

“Wouldn’t he think you’re dead? The tournament was a death match after all.”

“I don’t think so. If he ever thought I died, you’d definitely hear from him.”

With a quick twist, Allura secured the nail polish and placed the bottle on the nightstand while grabbing another polish and ran a single coat per nail, instantly hardening and drying her toenails. The polish returned to the nightstand. She didn’t need to do her own nails. After all, what were servants for? They were much more skilled and professional compared to her shaky handiwork. Yet the activity calmed her and kept her mind and hands busy while Keith was present. Sometimes it’s hard to look him in the eye.

She laid on her side, facing Keith. Her bright blue eyes met Keith’s deep violet. “What would happen if you did die?”

“Dad would be…” He bit his lip, struggling to find the right word. “…devastated.”

“I’d… I’d like to meet him one day. Is he the…?” She gestured awkwardly, shifting her eyes back and forth.

“No, he’s the Altean.” Allura’s shoulders relaxed at the confirmation. His hand reached for a lock of Allura’s hair and tucked it behind her ear. “I hope you do meet him one day. I think you’d like him a lot.”

After all these phoebs, Keith finally opening up enough to reveal an important person in his past without vague hints or massive censorship. Was it entirely honest? Most likely not. There must have been a reason for this newfound confidence. Allura wanted to tread carefully, however the novelty of this candor was too exciting. Doing all the talking gets boring very fast, and she was certain Keith was probably getting tired of hearing her gab about her past.

“When can I meet him?” she asked, legs squirming eagerly. Keith responded with a playful footsie.

“Not sure. I’d have to get in touch with him. Uh, that’s if…”

Allura squeezed his hand. “You have my permission.”

Meeting her champion’s father was too good an opportunity to miss. Almost suggesting to invite him to the wedding, Allura thought against it. She was no fool. As much as she trusted Keith, she knew he would tell his father how the child she carried belonged to him. The encounter would be too awkward. She hoped Keith didn’t get in touch with his father yet so she may instruct him not to mention the matter of paternity. She gave him permission to contact him, not to gossip.

This would also serve as a chance to see what sort of family Keith came from. It didn’t matter if he were impoverished. What mattered was the quality of people he came from. Was his father well versed in alchemy? Was he a strong person? A soldier? A craftsman? Whoever he was, he raised a resilient and powerful son who was fit to be the father of her unborn child.

She sent a text to Keith’s communicator. They will meet later after she has her first conference with Coran and a knight he invited. According to Coran, this person was very important to the Order. He also took it upon himself to invite the other highest-ranking knights to her wedding as means of protection and learn from the best and most loyal.

Sadly, there were only three of those special ranked knights left in the Order.

Ever since the war against the Galra, the Order of the White Lion suffered a great casualty of knights and handlers, King Alfor the greatest loss of them all. In these few deca-phoebs, they hid from the castle, tending to their injuries and losses. Despite their efforts for recovery, the scars lingered. It was Allura’s responsibility to restore the organization back to its former glory. From the rehabilitation, they would be able to recruit and regain their numbers and properly serve Altea and her majesty.

A call to action was to take place. Or that is what Allura had come to understand. Coran was going to teach her one of the abilities only the ruler of Altea can use.

Fine.

Perfect.

But where was Coran? He was supposed to have been in the Order’s secret room over a varga ago.

Feeling her anger rise, Allura banged on the table with her fist, ready to rush out and grab Coran by the nose and teach him not to waste her valuable time. She could have been using this time to prepare for her wedding, or better yet to tease Keith with a new dress she had made.

“Of all the rude and-” The door opened. “Coran! Where in the world have you been!?” She swung her chair to face her advisor only to startle when it had been someone else standing at the door.

A middle-aged woman with blonde hair, pink eyes, tan skin, and pink Altean markings smiled sweetly at the princess. Allura’s hands tingled with magical energy, forming sparks at her finger tips. The woman glanced at the empress’ hands, held out a hand, then bowed.

“Do not be alarmed, sweet empress.” She spoke with a gentle, motherly tone.

Allura glared at the stranger. “Who are you!? I will not hesitate to attack!”

“One is within One’s right to,” she nodded. “After all, the most dangerous thing in the universe is between a mother and her child.” The woman remained still, watching Allura’s glowing hands. “For generations, I have laid my life for the Order. This is no different.”

 _Then this must be the person Coran was going to introduce me to, but where IS Coran?_ she thought. _I cannot let this woman think I’m weak._

Magic lingering on her fingers, Allura adjusted herself on the chair. An air of confidence graced her features, yet the fear and anger sat at the back of her mind, ready to escape the moment the individual uttered the wrong words. She crossed her legs and played with an orb of magical energy as she eyed the woman. “Speak now.”

“I’ve been informed by Coran that One is in need of my assistance, which I’m more than happy to oblige.”

“Then you must be handler as you don’t have white hair,” she replied.

The woman shook her head. “My hair is white, but it’s been dyed at the request of Coran to not rouse suspicion among those in the castle.” She grinned. “Aside from being new, I’ve heard there is a naughty crusader who left his post. Coran will handle the situation as I have been entrusted to be One’s teacher for all things pertaining to the Order.”

Allura smirked, the magical orb growing with a twirl. “You still have not told me your identity.”

“But of course,” the woman placed her right hand over her heart. Her hair bun appeared to move on its own. A small organic tendril uncoiled itself from the back of her neck then squirmed back into the bun. “Duke Stride Aureliol, Lord Cossack and I are among the last of the level-4 knights in the Order of the White Lion. My name is Lady Orla Gamara, a Hoktril symbiont.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Allura’s temple, her presumptuous aura unwavering. She swallowed the hard lump in her throat before speaking. The magical energy increased in size. “And I suppose you expect _me_ to _trust you_?”

“If One is familiar with the Trill and the Trill symbionts, then really it is all the same with a few minor differences, sweet empress.” Gamara took one step forward towards the table. After noticing Allura had made no sudden movements she continued walking, one careful, calculated step at a time. “A Hoktril is a distant evolved form of the Trill symbiont. Hoktril can achieve perfect symbiosis with many species, unlike the Trill symbionts who are only compatible with Trill. I am one with Orla and I am one with Gamara, yet we are two different sapient species.”

“And Coran trusts you?”

“I’d hope he does considering her personally asked me to teach One. House Smythe recruited me back when I was known as Coba Gamara. Which is to say…” The knight sat on a chair, one space in between her and the empress, who still observed her with dangerous eyes. “One’s great-grandmother wasn’t an eligible maiden yet.”

“Oh?” Allura raised her eyebrows.

“I will explain everything to One. All that I know, it’s all for One. No matter how small or insignificant the question may be, I will answer it. One is the future of Altea and the universe itself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coba = Voltron DotU character. He was the king of Pollux, father to Romelle and Bandor.  
> Orla = Voltron DotU character. A queen of her own right in Arus, she was Allura's aunt.  
> Trill are from Star Trek Deep Space 9, so if you're familiar with the Trill you may know where this is headed. 
> 
> I'd love to know what you guys think!  
> Comments and kudos are always welcome!


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